Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze
by G3rMan
Summary: As a new era approaches, the great clan of the Namikaze is gone.  With only one remaining member to carry on the art of assassination and the Creed, will the clan be doomed to fail..or will it become stronger than it has ever been? NaruxSakuxRedHeadHarem
1. Prologue: The Awakening

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Prologue

The Awakening

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed! They are the property of Misashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft Game Studios, respectively. This story is merely for entertainment purposes, not for personal or monetary gain.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

This is a repost of the original first chapter.

**Setting Warning:** This is **NOT A CROSSOVER**, meaning that there is no Altair or Ezio talking to Naruto. Everything takes place in Naruto, although future in the story you will see that not _everything_ from Assassin Creed's world has been cut out..

**Naruto/Assassin Warning:** He isn't just a ninja now, he is also a trained assassin. Naruto incorporates both styles in combat, so be prepared for hidden blade action one minute to a jutsu the next.

Naruto will also act differently but instead of labeling it now, I will let you label it yourself as the story progresses. I have had bad luck trying to write down how Naruto acts in a story, so I won't even try.

**Pairing Warning:** As to your voting and my preference, this story will resume the heading of a red head harem. The girls will be added to that pairing reminder up there (NaruxSaku) as they come along not to spoil it, although since its a red head harem I'm sure you can guess. It won't exceed three girls and that includes Sakura so I'll leave it to your imagination until we reach that point in the story.

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Now onto the show!

000

_The Creed_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_6 Years After Kyuubi's Attack_

_Hokage's Office _

Within the office of the Hokage, the Sandaime Hiruzen Sarutobi was just finishing up his paperwork. While it wasn't his favorite task, today he stomached it down so that he could get it done early. There was much work to do and some hard news to give, it was definitely not a good day for anyone. Sighing, Hiruzen took a glance towards the picture frames hanging from the wall, a silent reminder of those leaders that have already past on after their service to the Leaf as both leaders and shinobi.

His eyes locked onto the fourth one, the picture of the Yondaime; The Yellow Flash. It had been six years since that day, the day they lost so much and gained so little. The man in the picture wasn't smiling though, his straight face showed the true demeanor of his clan; calm and calculated. The robes he wore were unique to the Namikaze, white robes with a curved hood that kept his face in a shadow and the large leather belt with the sign of the Namikaze in the middle, it denoted his status as a high ranked warrior in their clan.

_'Not warrior, assassin.'_ Hiruzen corrected himself mentally, a mistake he often found himself and other shinobi making about the Namikaze; they were all but died out now though, there was just one left in Konoha in fact.

It was his birthday today, Hiruzen wondered if what he was about to do would be a gift..or a curse for the boy of six years. He would be separating him from his caretaker to live in the secluded Namikaze compound, all alone. It wasn't his decision though, it was the Fourth's. Sarutobi had no idea what Minato had cooked up for his son at such a young age, but the man was a hero and had rescued the village; following through with his request was the least he could do.

A knock came on his office's door and he sighed again, knowing just who it was. Looking himself over a bit and straightening out his robes, Hiruzen placed his hands together on the table and prepared for the meeting.

"Come in please!" The Hokage's strong voice reached the hallway and the door creaked open to reveal Kakashi Hatake, Jonin of Konoha.

"You asked to see me Hokage-sama?" Hiruzen nodded and indicated with his hand a free seat to take in front of the desk; the Jonin shrugged and sat down, waiting for a response.

"I have summoned you here today to speak about Naruto Namikaze, the boy under your care. How is he?" Kakashi was taken by surprise by how professional the Hokage's voice was when speaking of Naruto, he was quite fond of the boy and usually spoke softer.

"He is doing alright, I left him at home today before I came to speak with you. Hehe..he'll probably be in my scroll drawer by the time I get back." The man smiled and scratched the back of his head; Naruto's lust for knowledge was insatiable and he was always getting into places he shouldn't.

Hiruzen did his best not to smile but found he couldn't, allowing a curve to affect his lips. The boy was still so innocent at a young age, even with his clan's past which he knew little about.

"I see..Kakashi, I have some bad news for you." Kakashi looked at the man, surprise and confusion etched in his features.

"What would that be Hokage?" He kept his laid back attitude as he asked, hoping it wouldn't have anything to do with Naruto.

"I am afraid I have to ask you to give up Naruto. It is time that you two become separated." Kakashi's eye widened and he began to stutter in a retort.

"Bu-but why Hokage? Have I not done a good job as a guardian of him? Has someone else volunteered? I don't want to burden anyone, I just want to take care of my sensei's kid!" Hiruzen shook his head, it wasn't Kakashi's fault they were doing this.

"No Kakashi, you have done nothing wrong. It was Minato's last wish for his son to be taken to the compound to live at age six, I do not know why though. I'm sure you understand why I am keeping with his wishes and granting this request, don't you?" Kakashi wanted to say yes but he couldn't, not with the outcome of it. Naruto would be alone in a new place without any knowledge of what to do.

"I can't Hokage-sama, I just can't give him up like that. Sensei suggested that to you back when his clan was still alive, there is no one at that compound to take care of him. He is not ready to live by himself, he can barely fix rice and ramen! How can you explain this as something other than a death wish?" Kakashi hated to raise his voice against the Hokage, but his logic wasn't making any sense.

"I thought the same as you Kakashi, why would Minato want this for his son? Then I noticed something interesting, why would he want the boy transferred to the compound at six years if his clan was alive? Wouldn't they be willing to care for him? If Minato had this all planned out, then I can only guess he has a plan for right now too. You will follow this order Kakashi, do you understand?" Kakashi looked away from the man's hard stare, it was an impossible choice.

He had gotten close to Naruto, it had taken awhile but the boy had grown on him. He wasn't too hyper and he was well behaved, much like Kakashi was in his youth. Apparently it was common for Namikaze children to have strict discipline as the assassins had their own way of doing things, maybe some of it rubbed off to Naruto. Either way, Kakashi did not want to give Naruto up to just leave him alone for who knew how long.

"Can I visit him?" He asked quietly but felt dejected when he saw the shake of the Hokage's head.

"No, Minato asked for him to be left alone during this time. I'm sorry Kakashi, I did not wish for this day to come. I know how hard this must be for you.." Kakashi stood up and prepared to leave.

_'You have no idea, Hokage-sama.'_

"I will get him packed, he will be there by late evening. Am I dismissed, Hokage-sama?" There was some venom from the man when Hiruzen's title was announced, an unfortunate but expected reaction from the Jonin.

"Yes, good luck Kakashi." Hiruzen waited until the door shut before he leaned back into his chair and swung around to view the village.

It was so peaceful now, the Third Shinobi War had ended many years ago and the people were happy. It broke his heart to bring such terrible news to Kakashi at a time like this, but he again had to trust in Minato's wisdom. It was one of the reasons he had chosen the man for his successor and yet another reason he wished Minato was in charge instead of him.

_'Dammit..I am too old for this.'_ He wiped his eyes a bit before the encroaching tears could fall.

"I'm sorry Naruto." He whispered before dismissing himself to his personal quarters, he was done being the Hokage for today; that decision was the hardest one he had made all day.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Kakashi Hatake's Apartment_

"Wow..this is interesting.." Naruto was sitting on his bed, reading through one of Kakashi's jutsu scrolls.

With his guardian out speaking to the Hokage, it gave Naruto the perfect chance to go exploring in the apartment. He had lived there for many years, for as long as he could remember he had always considered Kakashi his older brother. The silver haired man was always there when he needed him, always sticking up for him when someone would yell at him; it meant a lot to Naruto to have Kakashi as his guardian.

It wasn't always like that though, and as Naruto had the thought go through his mind, he frowned and put the scroll down. Back when Naruto was really small, around the age of three, Kakashi was still in the ANBU forcing him to stay out late from home and go away on missions. The Third tried to keep tabs on Naruto for his safety but apart from Kakashi, few were willing to help Naruto.

It got to the point where the townspeople got enough confidence to break into Kakashi's apartment and beat Naruto while he was inside. Luckily, Kakashi was on his way home from a mission when this happened and was horrified to find out just what happened. He stormed into his apartment and forced the villagers out, finding a bloodied Naruto in the center of their hatred. Appalled, Kakashi took Naruto to the hospital with the Third and renounced his place in the ANBU, asking to become a regular Jonin. The Third was more than happy to accommodate the service to Kakashi as he too felt it would be the safest choice for the boy.

Ever since then, Kakashi rarely let Naruto out of his sight. Naruto didn't mind much though, the Third always told him about how his dad used to teach Kakashi and thought of him as his best student. It made Naruto feel closer to his father by being near Kakashi, even if it was just a farce. Since he was not yet allowed to enter the Ninja Academy, Naruto's thirst for shinobi knowledge spilled over into his home life. Kakashi gave him basic scrolls but just like his father, he easily surpassed that level of knowledge in the first week or so.

It was then Kakashi's mission to keep Naruto from learning too much, lest he start becoming a ninja too early. With his great potential, Naruto could go very far; at the same time though, he was very fragile at his young age so the Third decided it was best to keep his learning in check.

Naruto heard the door open and close and ran to the living room to go see Kakashi. When he arrived, he saw a strange sight. The man was looking down, as if he was dejected about something. Naruto didn't want to make things worse so he waited to be acknowledged by the man. Kakashi walked over to Naruto and felt a slight pang in his heart and felt his throat go heavy as he tried to speak.

"Naruto.." Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder and tried his best to articulate words, he was having a lot of trouble. "Go to your room and pack everything you need into a scroll, we are going somewhere." Naruto didn't understand the order but shrugged off his shoulder to go accomplish it.

Meanwhile, Kakashi stood at the door, his face in his palm as he tried to calm his racing thoughts. He felt horrible every step he took as he knew it was just taking him closer to leaving Naruto. It wasn't right to do what they were doing, what Naruto think of all this?

_'Sensei..what are you thinking? He's just a boy..why couldn't you have waited?'_

"I'm all packed Kakashi nii-san. Where are we going?" Kakashi looked over to the hallway to Naruto's room and saw the boy standing there, his pants pocket now slightly bulging with the scroll.

_'That's right, he has only been there once. With what happened on that trip though, I suppose his mind made him forget it, it was too much for him to handle at such a young age.'_ Shrugging the thought off, Kakashi waved Naruto over to the door so they could get moving.

"It is a place you haven't been before Naruto, outside the village. You will be there for a while, it'll help you become a strong ninja. Come on." Naruto was nervous about being in a place outside the village for a long time, but he figured that with Kakashi there he could become a strong shinobi even quicker.

"Okay Kakashi, if you're with me then I'm fine!" Naruto's smile did it for Kakashi and he had to turn away, it was too much.

"Yeah.." He said quietly, unable to even convince himself. "Let's go Naruto." He leaped out of the doorway and into the village, feeling Naruto's presence close behind.

They kept to the rooftops to not arouse attention. As it was common knowledge Naruto was the son of Minato, a majority of the villagers either respected or feared him; there was only a small faction willing to go to such lengths as kill him. Even with that small chance though, Kakashi still would not take any chances with the blonde jinchuuriki and taught him ways of stealth to keep himself hidden; nothing notable, but a far higher level than a normal child should know.

"Is it really outside of the village Kakashi nii-san?" Kakashi looked over his shoulder to find Naruto struggling to catch up, he was only six after all.

"Yes Naruto, the people who owned it preferred the privacy and security of the surrounding wilderness rather than be sequestered inside the village. It passed on the village's security for autonomy and the wilderness' camouflage." The Namikaze were a private people, their _special _profession encouraged a certain level of autonomy that the Third had respected allowing them to have their own compound outside of the walls.

Only a select few knew of its actual location while the majority of the village thought that it didn't exist at all. Sure they knew of the Namikaze, but where they lived and just exactly what they did was somewhat of a mystery. To be sure though, everyone knew the Namikaze family was unique, just a single glance towards one and you could identify them. Their unique clothing consisting of white robes with hoods and masks that concealed their faces led them to look quite mysterious, almost monk-like; what they did though was anything but holy.

Naruto had been kept from his clan for two reasons, the distrust by the council of what the Namikaze would use him for and because the clan itself wasn't a big fan of Minato. As anyone could imagine, the Namikaze being outside the village left a certain wedge to form between the normal Konoha shinobi and the Namikaze assassins.

While certain deals had been passed where occasional assassins would be given ninja ranks in the village, for the most part the clan remained in their compound. The seclusion was a memento from the creation of Konoha, where both the Uchiha and Senju threatened to unite against them if they did not join the village. Minato was different though, he _willingly_ entered the Ninja Academy as the first assassin to ever do so.

This caused him to be viewed with distrust within his family and awe and fear from Konoha's populace. The man was persistent though, he was sure he could make the Namikaze proud while giving them a great name amongst Konoha's population through his own deeds. That attitude lead Jiraiya of the Sannin to take him on as a member of his genin team, teaching and guiding Minato until he reached the ripe level of chunin.

At that time, Minato approached the point where he could either fully immerse himself with the clan's assassin arts or leave them for the village. He made the surprising choice to stay with the clan forgetting about Jiraiya and his talk of peace and destiny and instead memorizing and following The Creed. While he was looked on with honor again by his clan, the suspicion of the assassins grew again as the village realized just how little they knew about the Namikaze.

During the Third Shinobi War, the assassins made many contracts and killed many people. Most were from the other villages while even some Fire officials were taken down for the good of peace. Minato was one of the few to openly heed Konoha's call to arms and joined the fight on the front, killing many Iwa shinobi and earning the moniker 'Konoha's White Flash' because of the white robes he wore with his Hiraishin technique.

Very few know what changed about Minato from this point, even Kakashi who was his student at the time didn't know much about him. He was a good man, if not quiet and aloof. Minato would always tell Kakashi about The Creed and how it would change the world one day. Jonin or not though, Kakashi was just a kid back then and didn't know what to think of it.

At the war's end, Minato married Kushina who he had met in the academy and fell in love with. The clan didn't approve of her, encouraging him to marry a fellow Namikaze rather than the Nine Tails jinchuuriki; he loved Kushina though, there was little anyone could say about it.

Then that fateful night came when Minato was already the Fourth Hokage and they were at peace, the Nine Tails was released and both him and Kushina were killed. Kakashi and the others who were considered too young were herded away from the village, leaving him in the dark until the dreadful aftermath of the attack.

It wasn't too long after the funeral that Kakashi learned of the existence of Naruto, just a baby at the time. After his teacher died and his teammates were long since gone, Kakashi had requested to be appointed to ANBU and the Third accepted knowing his pain. A few years later Naruto was big enough to be moved in with someone, yet no one would take the job. His clan had rejected him and the majority of the people barely knew he existed, so in honor of his sensei Kakashi took the boy in.

Since then it had been quite alright for both of them, except for the occasional incident. With his new orders though, he would be separating from Naruto, possibly forever. Realizing he had been thinking for too long, Kakashi realized he was in deep forest with Naruto keeping close to him in fear. Shaking his thoughts away, the Jonin lead Naruto out a few more miles until they reached a particularly heavy plant overgrowth with ivy and other plant life clinging to old wood.

_'This is it..I hope the inside isn't in as much disrepair as the outside.'_

"Come on Naruto, this is it." Kakashi brushed away the plants on the heavy gate and pushed with all his might.

The small blonde boy held onto his pant leg tightly, afraid to let go. If any of his clansmen were to see him now they would be sure to sneer in disgust to his fear. For the heir to the Namikaze heritage, Naruto didn't look like much now. Kakashi could only hope that after his time in the compound was complete, he would be better for it. It was the least Minato could do to pay the village, and Kakashi back for this sacrifice they were making.

"Kakashi nii-san, I'm scared." Naruto was looking around the compound and saw the tall walls and the well maintained buildings inside and felt afraid of the new place.

It was all so new to him, a new place and no reason for being there. For some reason though, it felt like at the same time he had been here once before quite a long time ago. There was little ivy inside and everything looked clean, a few buildings for living quarters and then one larger place that served as the main building of the clan home. There was a pond and small garden, long since dead though from the little to no maintenance done.

"You will be staying here for a while Naruto, you have to be strong. I will see you again..someday. Until then, train and don't slack off." Kakashi shrugged off the boy's grip and left the compound quickly without a single glance back, he closed the large gate behind him so that the boy couldn't run off.

"Kakashi nii-san, open the gate! I don't like it here..." Kakashi heard his voice trail off as he whimpered, quiet and alone in a strange place.

"_Dammit.._why the hell did you do this sensei?" He received no response but the boy's frantic cries and knew he could not remain any longer lest he try and rejoin him just to stop him from crying.

"Kakashi!" Naruto pounded on the doors until he felt the warm feeling of blood dripping down his arms from his splintered and ripped flesh.

He looked at his hands, they were a mess with dirt and wood mixed with the red blood coming from countless cuts. With nothing else to wipe them on, Naruto got his black t-shirt soaked with blood and dirtied with mud as he sniffled away his tears. What was he supposed to do now?

"_Naruto."_ A faint voice made him do a 180 towards the compound interior, searching for a person or signs of life. He could find none, just the barren wasteland of a compound Kakashi had left him in. The feeling of betrayal and hurt was etched in his heart, why would Kakashi do that so suddenly? Had he done something wrong?

"_Naruto, come here."_ There it was again, but this time it was accompanied by a light breeze that sent Naruto looking towards the main building of the secluded hideaway.

Wiping his eyes, Naruto took a few tentative steps towards the building and felt the wind slowly die down as he approached. The stairs didn't crack or shift as he walked up them, making the boy realize that the compound was sturdier on the inside than it was out. The doors were much lighter than the gate and Naruto found them even easier to open with the wind at his back.

"_Closer Naruto, you are almost there."_ No longer afraid of the voice, Naruto actively searched it out as a companion to join him in the frightening place.

It seemed to whisper from every corner of the building's lobby where he stood now, a lavish inside where multiple relics and other mementos hung from the ceiling. One interesting thing Naruto noticed was the immense amount of rusted bird cages hanging from the high ceiling, there were easily over two dozen and the size was big enough for a hawk!

The whisper came again and Naruto ran through the room over towards the staircase where a door was built into it. He opened it to find a dark pathway that would surely take him to the structure's basement and he hesitated at its mouth. Without warning he again felt the wind pushing him in and allowed himself the false sense of security as long as he felt the breeze hit his back. Naruto descended into the dark depths with nothing but the clothes on his back and no light to guide his way.

Once he reached the end of the stairs, he found that instead of wood the new room was now made of a rare stone or marble. It was also illuminated but how Naruto did not know, it seemed as if the light came from every direction as if the sun could shine in the room. He walked forward to find that the location was in the rough shape of a circle with columns running around the center of the room and with a smaller walking path that ran around the circumference. In the center Naruto saw a large coffin of with a seal of some sort, what made him curious was that it was glowing.

_'What is that? Is this someone's..tomb?'_

"You finally arrived, huh Naruto?" The voice was loud now, it felt so close that Naruto thought the person was standing right next to him.

With a deliberately slow movement, he slowly looked to his left to see if there was a person there but found nothing. Turning to the right, he finally saw the source of the voice. It was a specter in the shape of a person, it had the ghostly blue color of chakra and the person themselves were wearing some kind of white robe.

Its face was almost unreadable but Naruto could obviously tell they were smiling with the faint curled lips. The smile didn't help the fact that Naruto was standing next to a ghost.

He quickly backed away into a corner to find the man looking quite disappointed at that. The ghost slowly approached and knelt to the cowering boy's level, close enough to touch but far enough to give Naruto space.

"Do you not..recognize me?" It asked, obviously with sadness in its once powerful and warm tone. Naruto shook his head, unable to speak.

"How could that be? I thought for sure the Third would allow you to keep the name Namikaze.." Naruto's eyes widened at the name and he knew now just where he was, the Namikaze Compound.

"Th-That's my name.." Naruto said to the ghost who didn't appeared surprised at all, in fact he laughed.

"Haha! Well of course it is, you are _my_ son after all!" Naruto's eyes widened again, this ghost, this man was Minato Namikaze, his deceased father?

"You..you're my..father?" Minato nodded, reaching out to touch his son only for his hand to go through Naruto's shoulder.

"Are you a ghost?" Minato looked at him funny with a quirk of his head and chuckled.

"Hehe..no I'm not a ghost. This is an imprint of my conscious that I left behind in a seal so that one day I could help teach you and so I could see you again. I know this whole thing might seem sudden Naruto, but there are many things I have to teach you and many more things you will need to know. This world is in danger Naruto, and you could be the only person out there that can stop it. To do that though, you have to become what people will fear and despise, you have to embrace the Namikaze name in all things." Naruto slowly stood up, reaching barely the waist of his father's 'imprint'; the man was imposing yet at the same time welcoming with his warm smile.

"What is that..father?" Naruto was getting used to using the term, not yet comfortable with the situation of meeting his father. Minato didn't seem to notice as he stood near his son and gave his answer.

"You will become an assassin Naruto. Just like your grandfather, just like his grandfather, just like _me_."

000

As you voted, you have received. This will be a NaruxSaku story but the relationship shouldn't develop into anything intense until Part II since Naruto is especially reserved as an assassin.

Review, Alert, Favorite!

You know the drill!

Bye!


	2. Initiation into a Brotherhood

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 2

Initiation into a Brotherhood

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Its gonna skip through the beginnings and cut straight to meat of the story as it follows the manga. A few moments within his years of training will be shown and then we will get straight to the meeting of Team 7. And another thing, Naruto is a year older than Sasuke and Sakura so when they are 13 he is 14. Just try and follow along and leave questions in a review if you get confused.

Now onto the show!

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Namikaze Compound_

_One Year Since Arrival_

Naruto awoke in his room, feeling a bit sluggish. It still felt as though the sores of yesterday's training were on him even after he rested. The spartan room he slept in didn't help assuage him either with the straw cot and a single dresser. Nonetheless, Naruto's father assured him that eventually his body would get used to the daily regime and would make him stronger.

"Naruto, time to get up." The boy complied and got dressed in his training garments, a gray-white robe that reached down to his thighs along with gray pants and ninja sandals.

He followed his father through the bedroom door and out to the main hall of the building. Minato pointed up and indicated for Naruto to observe the multiple bird cages that hung from the ceiling, rusted over from years of disuse.

"Do you know what those are, Naruto?" He looked them over, the cages were quite well made and very large indicating a strong bird lived in them.

"Some type of bird cage right?" Minato nodded and pointed at his hood where it met above his head to form a sort of beak.

"Our clan..no, all assassins have been likened to birds of prey. We view the masses from high above and select our target.." Minato caught a feather that had been fluttering down, holding his hand in front of Naruto to see. "Then we swoop in and take them before leaving just as quickly as we came. This is who we are. This is what the Namikaze were before they disappeared." Naruto had figured that the clan had been gone for quite some time, considering how wrecked the compound was.

_'Vines cover everything, wood in some places has begun to rot through, and its been more than once that I almost fell through the floor. This place is in need of an upgrade.'_

"What happened to the Namikaze, father? I mean, for them all to just up and vanish seems unlikely.." Minato walked over to the front door to stare out into the compound, thinking.

"To tell you the truth Naruto, I don't know what happened to them. I agree, I doubt they all just decided to leave, no matter how much they despised Konoha's rules they had grown accustomed to living under the yoke of the Hokage. But then again, it is impossible to rule out..other possibilities." Naruto heard his father hesitate a bit and looked on confused.

"What do you mean dad?" Minato took another look at the compound's main grounds before turning back to Naruto.

"Its possible they were destroyed, by someone or something." Naruto's eyes widened, not expecting his father to say such a thing so casually.

"But..but I thought you said the assassins were-" Minato closed the doors and walked back over to his son.

"I never said we were invincible Naruto, and we definitely had and still have many enemies. I wouldn't be surprised if someone decided that we had grown too strong or took revenge against us..even then though, its hard to believe they could get all of us. Either way, I'm going to train you to prevent that from happening." Naruto gulped and nodded, following his father into another room that held many books and scrolls.

Naruto entered and found the entire room to be very well kept even with the decay setting in around the rest of the building. All the books were neatly shelved with many rows of books each well organized and scrolls laid out neatly on tables or stands. His father had migrated over to a particular shelf and was looking at labels when he noticed his son standing still at the door in surprise.

"Knowledge is power Naruto. When we know everything about our opponent and they know nothing of us, it is a victory. All of these books are somehow useful to you and your training not only in the assassin but ninja arts as well. I'm looking for a book right at this moment that should jump start your chakra lessons. You already have the books on the Assassin Order, correct?" Naruto had been studying ferociously to learn as much as he could in a short period of time.

"Yes, I have made it through them all already. It spoke of many things I haven't heard of, like hidden blades, free-running, and some jutsu I haven't even imagined." Minato chuckled, his son was only seven after all and there was no way he could comprehend some things so quickly.

"That's okay Naruto, we will get to it all in time. Now to refresh your memory, tell me the Creed and what it symbolizes." The apprentice assassin shifted uneasily, struggling a bit to remember.

"The first tenant says to stay our blade from innocents. It means that we are not to attack or harm a person who is not corrupted or a threat to peace, like civilians. However, there have been many exceptions to this rule added over the years.." Minato continued to search as he spoke.

"What kind of exceptions?"

"Fellow assassins are not to be fought against unless their motives are questionable or evil in nature; the same goes for ninja of an affiliated village, like Konoha. Just because they are considered allies does not leave them exempt from our possible targets."

"Very good Naruto, second tenant please." Naruto continued with less difficulty.

"To see but be unseen. It means to approach a target stealthily while in an obvious position and be able to kill them and still escape without detection. It has a psy-pcy.." Naruto had difficulty thinking of the right word until his father helped him.

"Psychological, meaning that it affects an opponent's will or mental state."

"Thanks, well anyway it has an effect that shows that a person of disruptive qualities to society is not safe from assassins, even amongst large groups of people."

"Right, and the third."

"Never compromise the clan. If an assassin should ever be captured or fail in their mission, they cannot in any way endanger the rest of the clan. This can be interpreted in many ways as well, depending on the situation an assassin is in." Minato seemed to have found what he was looking for and waved Naruto over.

"And explain such a circumstance for me Naruto."

"Well..if an assassin fails to finish his target, he cannot return to any assassin safe house until all his pursuers are killed. Or.." Naruto grabbed the book his father had pointed out and then looked back at him. "if they are captured, destroy themselves and anything that connects them to the clan." Minato placed his ghostly hand over Naruto's shoulder, patting it.

"Let's hope it never gets to that point, shall we?" Naruto nodded and then looked at the book he had been asked to pick up.

"_Shogi: Beginners Guide_? What is this.." Minato led him over to a table with a game already set up.

"Its a strategy game where observation and planning ahead is very key. An assassin must be prepared to alter their plan of attack at any time and think of any contingency. Since you are nowhere near the level of killing another, we will start small with a game. Read up on that Naruto, then you and I can play." Naruto looked at the book and flipped through a few pages, looking over what a few pieces meant.

"And you are sure this will help me in the future?" Minato laughed and began walking out of the room.

"I told you Naruto, everything in this room will one day be of use to you in some way. Trust me, I'm sure you will enjoy the game after you begin reading about it. Now come, today's physical training should begin now.." Naruto looked at the book again and his father before remembering something.

"Wait. Didn't you say you were looking for a chakra book?" Minato looked surprised and then slapped his head, distorting his image a bit.

"Ah, of course you're right. Well, let's see.." He walked back in and after a few minutes picked up a few books and piled them in Naruto's hands to form a nice stack.

"There ya go. Read up on these in your spare time to help with the lessons and speed their progress." Naruto looked at the big pile and sighed, it would take forever to get through them all.

"But dad, I never have any free time. Your training takes up half the day.." Minato snickered and started to lead a sulking Naruto in tow.

"An assassin's work is never done Naruto, always stay active and on your enemy's toes. Its either they or you who get the first move, make sure you are the one to make it. Now come, you can't delay the sweat for long."

000

_Namikaze Compound_

_2 Years Since Arrival_

"What is today's training, father?"

"Today Naruto..we will teach you how to free run. Its about time you learned, but I couldn't rush it until your body could take the physical requirements needed for it. Even though you are only eight years old, you are very strong, both mentally and physically. I think its time we stepped up the daily regime to include this with your physical strength training." Naruto and Minato stood on the main hall's roof and looked over what seemed to be a large playground in the area of the compound; ledges, grips, and other handholds were everywhere on the roofs and sidings of the buildings and walls.

"Whoa...where do we start?" Minato pointed to a nearby ledge and leaped over to it effortlessly, landing with both feet planted and not a even a hint of sound. He waved for Naruto to jump next and the boy edged over to a better spot.

"It might help to get a running start for your first try!" His father shouted in encouragement but Naruto barely heard, too engrossed in thinking of how he could make the jump.

_'Assassins have been doing this for centuries..that means I can do it too!'_ Naruto leaped forward and landed on the piece of wood with both feet planted firmly.

He looked over his shoulder to prove to himself he had actually done it and was amazed at the distance he had jumped. His father had told him that even though ninja could easily jump or use chakra to enhance their movements, assassins continued to teach the free run to the next generation. Not only did it provide tougher training that hardened assassins to difficult movements but it also gave them the advantage when chakra was unusable.

"Nice job Naruto, now try and keep up." Minato ran over the roof and leaped to the next with Naruto close behind.

Each landing began to feel more and more natural as they moved around the entire compound. They scaled the walls, ran up walls, and explored every spot Minato had ever been to in his time of being there. In that time, Naruto felt more like a Namikaze than he ever had previously and felt ten times stronger than anyone his age should have. It didn't seem real that an eight year old could do such feats of acrobatics, but Naruto proved them wrong.

"And.." Minato and Naruto made one last jump and reached the top of the clan hall where they started. "We are done. That was great Naruto, you kept great pace for your first time..Naruto?" Minato looked to see his son had fallen asleep from exhaustion, it seemed even his body had limits.

Minato frowned, he couldn't interact very well with most objects and whenever he tried to touch Naruto his hand fell through. While he was glad he could see him, it hurt him to not be able to pat his son on the back or rub his head. Now he would have to wait for the boy to wake up before they could continue, and so he settled for just watching his son sleep peacefully on the rooftop.

_'I want to keep that smile going..for as long as I can.'_

000

_Namikaze Compound_

_4 Years Since Arrival_

"Go Naruto, charge him!" Naruto ran forward and sliced through the first straw dummy, opening up what would be the victim's stomach.

Another dummy came forward and Naruto then turned into an imaginary attack and stabbed through its neck with his hidden blade, attached to a leather arm guard. Both dummies were down while Naruto got back into a ready stance with his sword out. Minato stood on the sidelines, overseeing his son's weapon practice. He had allowed his son to start using weapons at age nine, beginning with simple throwing knives until he began to instruct him on the use of the hidden blade and other weapons within the Namikaze arsenal.

Naruto had taken to his hidden blade the most, preferring it over larger, bulkier weapons. However, even he knew he couldn't block all attacks with his hidden weapon nor did it have the reach a sword could afford, therefore he began using one supplied by his father. Even though Naruto's chakra training was still not completed, Minato knew that his son could eventually take advantage of that and add to the strength of all his bladed weapons.

"Very good, your speed and reflexes are getting better. Your hidden blade attack left your side defenseless though since you over extended, you don't go for style points in a battle." Naruto had slowly gotten used to his father's criticism of his tactics, however, he was known to butt heads on occasion.

"I'm sorry father, but my reaction time wouldn't have been fast enough with my sword and he showed up on my left side making it more convenient to use the blade. I couldn't have dropped my sword either or sheathe it in time, and its weight meant I couldn't back off or else I would be open for a frontal attack. I took the risk of being wounded in a non-vital area to hit both enemies in succession and succeeded." Minato stood there moment before sighing, he didn't like arguing with his son especially when he felt he was in the right.

"I won't argue Naruto, just remember to keep your guard up. As an assassin, you generally shouldn't be put in situations where you have such prolonged combat but since you will be a ninja as well, you will be forced into such situations that demand stamina as well as strategy. You can't always risk taking a hit, because one hit is all it might take." Naruto conceded on that point, there were way too many ifs as far as the situation of the incoming hit.

"Right, I understand." Minato began walking toward the stairs to lead them out of the basement that had served as their training pit.

"I hope so. Now then, I'd like you to follow me. I have something to show you." Naruto followed after his father as he led him through the halls and down a familiar path.

It was the passageway he used the first time arrived four years ago, where he first met his father. The marble flooring and bright light hadn't changed much since his arrival, belying Naruto's improvement since he first came. The room, unbeknown to Naruto at the time, was actually a tomb where the greatest and most renowned assassins were buried. His father was located in the center of the room as the most recent Master Assassin of the Namikaze to pass.

Arriving at the center of the room, Naruto and Minato stood in front of Minato's tomb. He patted the top, wiping away the few cobwebs to gather. Standing amongst them, Naruto felt a sense of unworthiness and shifted uneasily.

"Don't worry Naruto, this is right where you belong. I wanted to tell you a little more of our history..and tell you what you will do in the future to ensure the Namikaze continue. Please, walk with me." Naruto followed as his father went over to a statue of a faceless assassin in the ceremonial robes.

Inscribed at the foot of the statue was the person's name, and upon reading it caused Naruto to look back at the statue in awe.

_Maki Namikaze_

_Founder of the Namikaze Clan, Fire Sect of Assassins_

_The man that led us in our beginnings, without chakra or a guide, he brought us life._

"Entombed here is Maki Namikaze, the founder of our clan. As you know, there are dozens and maybe even hundreds of clans of assassins. These are divided into Sects depending on their location in the world. For example, we are the a part of the Fire Sect because we live in the Fire Country. Our neighbors in Suna are considered the Sand Sect of Assassins as they live in the deserts of Wind Country." Naruto ran his hands over the nameplate to remove more dust as his father spoke, thinking over what his ancestor was like.

"As it says there, Maki created the Namikaze during the Dark Times where war was rampant. Keep in mind this was before even the clans like the Uchiha or Senju were there, even before the Sage of the Six Paths. In an attempt to bring order, he led the original assassins that he commanded in a fight against evil and corruption. A losing battle considering the odds, but they did not falter in their duties." Minato spoke with pride in his voice as he continued with the history of their founder.

"It wasn't very long until the fabled Sage showed himself, bringing his own attempt at peace to the world's eye. In an attempt to unite people through religion, he spread the practice of chakra usage in hopes that people would use the power for the good of all. We both know it was a naive dream with the current state of affairs in the ninja world, but to our ancestors it was blasphemy!" Naruto turned to his father, surprised as his voice turned angry.

"Our ancestors saw the Sage as a chaotic being bringing only a new weapon to be used in the world, this chakra would upset the balance they worked so hard to create. It was then that the Namikaze started what would be our greatest failure.." Minato looked at his son with hard eyes. "We set out to kill the Sage of the Six Paths, owner of the Rinnegan."

Naruto's eyes widened, how could they even consider the attempt? Even if they had been strong before he had arrived, without the use of chakra and up against a kekkei genkai so powerful to create the Sharingan and Byakugan they stood little chance. Still, Naruto could see why they were inspired to go and kill the man in such a chaotic time of war and mystique.

"Our Grandmaster himself led the Namikaze into battle, defeating his closest followers who were just beginning to learn the start of ninjutsu before they arrived at the Sage's home. That was where Maki battled against him and in the end was forced to retreat, conceding defeat to the Sage and tipping the balance in favor of chakra users." Minato let his voice fall to a whisper as the light flickered in the room with uncertainty.

"It was at that point many began to question whether the old Order could continue to operate effectively against new enemies with powerful abilities. They couldn't just kill the chakra users who traveled to towns to teach others, it had grown too far and too fast. Once Maki died, our ancestors had to accept defeat and reorganize the assassins for the new world." Naruto knew what happened next, it was one of the most influential changes to their entire order.

"Chakra was introduced in assassin training." Naruto said receiving a bitter nod from his father.

"Yes..and throughout the generations of assassins, leaders fell and followers emerged with new ideas and innovations that kept the assassins surviving in the world. But.." Minato began to pace around the room, looking into the eyes of each statue with what looked like sorrow or pity. "We had lost our place, no longer did the population fear us. With countries and their governments ensuring protection through conscripted armies and ninja villages, the assassins were no longer as free to strike against those _we_ saw as unjust. And that, is where we were thrust into the shadows." Minato stopped at the head of the room, the light dimmed as Naruto walked over to join him.

"This is where we stand today Naruto, kept as pets by Konoha and trinkets to the people of time much since forgotten. When the Uchiha and Senju united and forced us into submission or destruction, it was the lowest blow we have suffered since the defeat of Maki. Forced to fight for a village in ways we saw as heretical, the Namikaze grew angry with the council and all Konoha stood for. Our only sense of freedom was this compound.." Minato threw his arms out to his sides showing what they still owned.

"Outside of the bounds of Konoha, it gave our members little solace with the times of old long gone. I sacrificed my honor in the clan to try and become a ninja as much as an assassin, but I failed when I found myself losing faith in not only the village but the clan itself. At first I really thought I could change the way our clan was looked at, but I was wrong..then your mother came along and.." Naruto saw his father shift uncomfortably and balled his fists.

"Father..you never told me much of my mother. Who was she?" Minato turned to Naruto and he saw his indecision in speaking of her.

"She..was an odd one. Destined from the start to be opposites, she and I came together in the most strangest of ways. Would you believe me if I said the first thing I fell in love with was her red hair?" Minato smiled as Naruto broke into a smile and chuckled, it gave him time to remember those days.

"I still don't know how we got married, let alone had you but I can't say I regret it. Still, it made dealing with the clan very..difficult. They weren't very fond of her unfortunately, and they practically saw it as a betrayal when I married her. I don't even know how they kept talking to me when I became the Hokage, but somehow back then it didn't matter much to me. As long as I could see her smiling face..I guess love is a wonderful thing." Minato spoke more to himself now than Naruto, but the boy got an idea of his mother now.

"Was she nice?" Naruto asked only to hear his father break into laughter.

"Haha! She was nice if you deserved it! If you didn't well she could be quite the devil..and don't even get me started on her temper. But she was a lovely woman, if not a bit tomboyish, she was so happy when she found out she was pregnant. You should have seen the way her face sparkled with tears of joy. My only regret is that we couldn't survive to raise you, so that you could see us in our natural form instead of..instead of a ghost talking to you about things in the basement of a rotting compound." Naruto stepped forward to join his father in the light, illuminating his center coffin.

"I don't mind the rotting wood so much anymore, I don't know if I could fall asleep without the sound of snapping wood and creaky boards." Minato put his arm around Naruto and chuckled sharing a laugh of their pitiful surroundings.

"But what I wanted to say was that..I'm glad you brought me here dad. To learn all of this, to experience the things I wouldn't have if you hadn't have done all this. After being here for four years and learning all of this stuff about assassins..I really am proud to be a Namikaze, and I want to bring us back to what we were." Minato looked surprised at his son, he hadn't expected such a confession.

"Naruto, be careful with your words. You are only ten years old and yet you are considering bearing the shame of dozens of generations before you..that is a lot to handle for just one Namikaze. I don't want you to think that I did all this so you would avenge us..your ancestors and I would be glad just to see you get a wife and child, let alone fix this place up. What I am saying is..you don't have any obligation to do that." Naruto's face scrunched in stubborn determination, surprising his father.

"I know and I don't care, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure the Namikaze are remembered for the right reasons." Minato sighed and smiled, that was definitely something he inherited from his mother.

"Alright, I concede. It is your decision after all, I am only here to give you the power to do so. Now there is one last thing I need to show you for the day, step over here by my tomb." Naruto stood before the tomb and watched as his father knelt down and pressed a piece of stone in on the side, revealing a keypad.

"This is technology long since forgotten how to replicate, however, it is still serviceable to those with the knowledge to use them. On this keypad, you must input a certain code and upon doing so will reveal an area below this one that will help you further your training to the highest level." Naruto leaned in and observed the piece of technology, it had the numbers one through nine with a small bar above to display text.

"Where did this technology come from father?" Minato ran his hands over the console, a hard face settling in on his visage.

"Oh..from a variety of caches and secure locations. We've had many enemies and many allies, but when the ability to replicate became lost to time the only thing left to do was stockpile it. This is one of the few things the Namikaze were able to procure, but it may be the most important. When you feel ready Naruto, you will input the code and enter the Lower Sanctuary to ascend to the level of Master Assassin, just as I did and the previous ones did as well." Naruto looked at his father in confusion.

"How long have we had this? It looks brand new.." Minato chuckled and stood up.

"Many generations, but its been kept in great care because of its importance. Be sure to come down once in a while and clean it when you visit me." Naruto stood up as well and waited for his father to say something.

"Are you ready for the code?" Naruto nodded.

"Every time a new Master takes the journey into the depths, he is allowed to change the code. I changed it to your birthday, the 10th of October and to the age you would be when you finished your assassin training, 14. Remember it wisely since I doubt it will be any time soon you decide to take the test." Naruto took a moment to remember the numbers while his father began to walk toward the exit.

"_1014_..." Naruto whispered in thought before realizing he meant to ask Minato something. "But father, when will I be ready for the test?" Minato stopped and turned around to face his son, his serious tone returned.

"Every Master Assassin goes through his own share of revelations and scars in life, its when they realize they aren't adequate for the task at hand with their current body they then realize what is needed to be done. You will have to answer that question yourself, but you will know when the right time is. Now.." Minato began to smile as he waved his son over. "Its time for your daily shogi game, come."

Naruto began walking toward his father, his mind filled with excitement of his future.

000

_Namikaze Compound_

_8 Years Since Arrival_

Minato walked through the newly refurbished clan hall, the fresh new wood left a tingling scent in his nose..or at least that's how his son described it. It had taken some work but with Minato's teaching and an unknown source of bottomless stamina, Naruto had rebuilt the central hall of the Namikaze. He didn't know if it was because of his son's determination to revive the clan or if he had just gotten tired of the damaged and desperate building but either way, it was good to have it back to the way it once was.

The old Grandmaster was heading toward the Inner Sanctuary where his son had preferred to stay for his meditations. It was a very quiet place and well illuminated thanks to age old devices few knew still existed; it also gave his son a sense of belonging to stand amongst the greatest assassins to ever live. The meditation also served to help Naruto with his chakra exercises which were especially important since he had begun exploring the possibilities of his nature affinities.

Minato had made a name for himself with his own Wind chakra, having created a jutsu that had helped Konoha win the Third Shinobi War and that multi-tasked as an assassin's perfect weapon.

_'Its been so long since I used that jutsu..or any for that matter. Its finally time for me to pass the torch to Naruto..and its time for him to go outside of the compound.'_

"Naruto, are you here?" Minato stepped into the room to see his son sitting in front of his coffin, meditating with a slight aura of blue chakra emanating around his body.

"Yes father, I was just exercising my chakra usage. What is it you need?" Naruto spoke with a level, confident tone of a fourteen year old assassin.

"I have news for you Naruto..its finally time for you to spread your wings." Naruto's eyes widened from under his hood, did that mean it was time for him to leave? "I will administer your final test today, and should you pass, you will receive the mark of the Namikaze and receive your new outfit befitting of a Novice Assassin." Naruto stood up and walked to his father, confusion etched on his features.

"Father..is there really nothing left for you to teach me? I know its been just about eight years now but, it feels as though there is so much more to do." Minato smiled and clasped his son's shoulder, his chakra had grown weaker over the days until he was barely visible in bright areas.

"You are right, there is much for you to still learn. However, they are things you must learn on your own and definitely outside this compound. I hate to say it son but..it seems my time is running short. My chakra was only designed to last this long, until the time I could let you go with all my teachings. By the time you return from the test, I will most likely be gone." Naruto was saddened by this fact, he had come to find his father be great company in the quiet house.

"I see.." Naruto looked down, something his father had not wanted to see.

"You will do fine without me Naruto, I've taught you everything you need to know. Its now time to begin training as a ninja, just like I did. After your test is completed, go see the Hokage in his mansion and request to be placed on a team. The old man always had a soft spot for the assassins and he should be quite welcoming." Minato stopped talking when he realized his son was shaking a bit.

"I don't want to become a ninja..look what has become of this place! I have to stay and restore it to its former glory, I don't have time to be the village's new plaything." Minato frowned but realized his son had a point, he would be seen as a tool by the council and feared by the people.

"Naruto, you must learn from the village to become stronger. Remember the failure of Maki and the early assassins, they did not embrace the use of chakra and it cost them dearly. You now refuse to take the path that will lead to future strength, you need the village but they need you even more. There are other assassin groups that are still strong in Fire, with you here they will hesitate before striking. You need only to act like a tool long enough to gather enough allies..friends so that you can forge your own way." Minato began to ascend the staircase to the main level with Naruto quick to follow as his father seemed to be talking fast now.

"I have left a scroll for you in my bedroom to be opened after your test. It will detail some important information for you, including many of my old contacts and hideouts scattered across the continent. The Namikaze name will still hold some power where you go, but you must be the one to seek them if you want their help. This compound is yours to do with as you please, restore it or leave it to rot for a new home it does not matter. Many ghosts remain here, not all pleasant memories to be seen. But still, it has been home to our clan since Konoha's founding, don't throw away its use so readily." Minato now stood before the compound's gate, not opened since Kakashi dropped Naruto off.

"Now, your final mission is to take a leap of faith off of the Hokage monument. Directly below my head will be your safe haven, ensuring you survive. I might also advise you to keep out of sight for the most part, the people are not yet ready for the return of the Namikaze and may not take your clothing very comforting." Naruto nodded and stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to say.

Minato realized his hesitations source and placed both hands over his son's shoulders. It made Naruto look into his eyes and see his father smile one last time.

"Good luck Naruto, do your best! You've already made me and the clan proud for sticking through the training and accepting it without fuss, without you, we would be lost to the ages." Naruto smiled and placed his gloved hand over his father's own.

"I'll restore the Namikaze..and I will lead a happy life just like you said to, I promise." Minato watched as his son disappeared into a blur in the direction of the village and felt the wind blow a strong gust.

_'Goodbye Naruto..I was glad I could see you one last time.'_ Just like sand in the desert, Minato's apparition blew away with the gust of wind, guiding itself back to the tomb where Minato's seal glowed a bit before darkening for the final time.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hokage Monument_

_Minato's Head_

Naruto found his footing on one of his father's spikes of hair and peered over the edge. Just as his father said, there was a small zone of safety that would see him fall safely to the ground. Being the tallest monument within Konoha, Naruto did not doubt the reasoning behind making the final test a leap of faith from his position. With no further hesitation and with little second thought, Naruto leaped off of the head and went straight into a dive towards the area below.

The few seconds of flight gave Naruto a chance to realize the true splendor behind Konoha. It was magnificent, at least at the distance he was at. Before he could finish, Naruto impacted the wet, protective area that led to his safe return to land. He slowly made his way back to the surface of the well that was in front of the Hokage's mansion, specifically put in place during Minato's time as Hokage.

_'Geez dad, you could have at least made it a bit more inconspicuous..but looks like I made it regardless.'_

He pulled himself out of the deep well and took a minute to let the water out of his clothes before setting his sights for the mansion. He had to grab his new clothing and head back to see the Hokage for a meeting. And as the new head of the Namikaze clan, he wouldn't take no for an answer.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hokage Mansion_

Hiruzen was having a slow day, since he had taken care of the squad selections of the year there was little for him to do other than the daily load of mission reports. It was then that his day got a surprising and well needed arrival to breathe some excitement into his old lungs. When he first heard the door open, he had expected a jonin or his secretary to enter, he was disappointed to see it must have been the wind.

"Hokage, I have come to have a word with you." A deep voice close by made him whirl around to his side to see an assassin in full robes and face covered with a beaked hood, standing before him.

"Oh dear, you startled me a bit there." He quickly regained his composure, he wasn't used to seeing assassins anymore but still discouraged his jumpy nature.

"Per my father's request, I am requesting to be placed on an active genin team this year. He left this behind for you to read in case you had questions." Hiruzen took the small note the boy had and soon realized just how special this particular assassin was, it was Naruto!

"Naruto! I couldn't recognize you with how much you have grown and your new..attire. How are you? Did your training go well?" Naruto shifted and moved to stand in front of the Hokage's desk.

"I am feeling well and my training has finished on a good note, so good that my father decided it was time for me to begin integrating into the village's ninja system. I wasn't necessarily fond of the idea but I realized it would benefit me more if I received teaching and went on missions with a Jonin." Hiruzen nodded and could hear the usual logical tone he remembered from Minato, it seemed they both planned his future out well.

"I can understand that, it must have been terribly lonely in the compound alone. Being on a team with others your age will do you plenty of good I'm sure." Naruto shrugged.

"I had my father there to keep me company..but I agree that it will be good to meet others my age and hopefully make some friends." The Hokage could tell the boy had definitely had some emotional training from his methodical method of speaking, however, he could hear a slight hint of anxiousness at the prospect of meeting other genin.

"Well Naruto, you are in luck. One squad has had some difficulty finding a match with its two other members and I think you would do perfect. Now, before we get to specific papers and your ninja ID, let's first get you a headband." He reached into his desk, specifically waiting for this day to come by gathering a few headbands for him to look at.

"I have a few colors for you to choose from, and you may wear it in any fashion you see fit. The traditional way is across the forehead but I have seen many wear it as a bandanna or around their necks too. Whatever fits your preference." Naruto looked at the three colors, red, black, and blue for a moment before selecting the red one.

"I think I'll tie this around my leather band." Naruto mumbled as he quickly tied it over the wide brown band that covered the front of his white robes, it held together the sheathe on his back for his smaller sword and other equipment he had not yet purchased.

"If you wish I can have someone weave into the leather-" Naruto held up a hand and did final tightening on the headband.

"No, I can do that myself. My father didn't just teach me assassin arts while we trained." Hiruzen just nodded, he didn't want to argue with the boy.

"Will I have any particular duties as the head of the Namikaze? I know we aren't considered a clan anymore due to having no members but..I want to make sure that I take care of any existing duties." Hiruzen hummed in thought a bit before clasping his hands together.

"I don't believe so. All your land taxes and such for having a compound were waived in the original agreement at the founding of Konoha, so no need to worry about that. For the rest, well you don't have to worry about any of that until your clan reaches a sufficient size. For now, enjoy the freedom of your age and worry about your missions." Naruto nodded in assent, glad to have a few less responsibilities.

"Is there anything else I should know? I would like to meet my new team as soon as possible." Hiruzen huffed and pulled out a scroll with the graduating class of that year.

Naruto leaned over the desk and watched as Hiruzen found an empty spot and pointed at it with a pen.

"Just sign your name and this will make you an official academy graduate, its just standard procedure for all genin. Even your father had to do it even though he too remained in the compound for some of his training." Naruto quickly signed his name and then received a small piece of paper.

"Last thing I need is your info for your ninja ID card, usually you get a picture taken too but from a sense of urgency it isn't necessary. I don't think you would be fond of the idea either, right?" Naruto shook his head and quickly filled it out with his simple info, it was mainly used to identify him to medics should he be unable to respond or to legitimize his ties with Konoha if asked by another nation.

"Perfect." Hiruzen said as Naruto gave him back the paper and he leaned back in his chair.

Naruto began to grow impatient with the man as all he did was stare at him for a few moments.

"You know, you really do look just like your father.." Hiruzen muttered before sighing, those days were over now. It was his son standing before him, not the young Minato he remembered.

"Your platoon is Team 7. I believe they are currently waiting at the academy for their Jonin instructor, if you hurry you can catch them for introductions." Hiruzen smiled as Naruto nodded and disappeared to go find the academy, it was then that the door opened.

"That was him, wasn't it Hokage-sama?" The Sarutobi welcomed the new arrival with a nod, Kakashi Hatake had been waiting for the day for a long time now to see his young charge.

"Yes, he is now headed for the academy to meet his team-mates..and you. Best to get moving and not be too late lest they get the wrong impression of you." Kakashi nodded and turned to leave. "And Kakashi..remember this isn't the Naruto you raised. He is an assassin now, a damn well trained one from what I can tell. He won't be as affectionate as you might think."

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before nodding in assent. He had waited this long, he wasn't about to mess it up a second time.

"I'll take it slow Hokage-sama, I will only open up to him if he is willing. Until then.." Kakashi stepped out of the office. "I'll be a lazy Jonin teacher, just like usual."

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy Room_

Sakura and Sasuke had been sitting there for the past half hour waiting for their jonin teacher, and it was really starting to wear on them. All the other instructors had been there as soon as the teams had been named and everyone else filed out leaving them to remain embarrassingly behind. Sakura wanted to speak to Sasuke now more than ever that they were alone, but as usual he was off in his own world and ignored any inkling she gave of wanting his attention.

_'Sometimes I wonder why I bother..'_ She thought to herself but quickly refreshed her memory about why she wanted Sasuke, to rub it in her rival's face _and_ because everything he did was just..so cool.

"How much longer will this idiot make us wait." Sasuke wondered aloud, startling the pink haired girl.

"I..I'm not sure Sasuke-kun, surely not much longer. He is a Jonin after all, getting here quick shouldn't be a problem, he probably just got hung up on in an important meeting or something." Sasuke accepted her answer with a huff and went back to staring at the wall much to Sakura's disappointment.

Suddenly, the door opened and then a man with silver hair and one black eye entered with standard jonin apparel. It looked to them like their teacher finally decided to show himself, but the excuse Sakura gave didn't seem very apparent as he walked in casually with a book of questionable material in his hands. With one eye, he appraised the two before putting the book away for both hands in his pockets.

"Yo." He gave a quick wave to introduce himself, surprising the genin with his casual attitude of tardiness. "I'm Kakashi Hatake, and I'll be your Jonin instructor. From what I can tell..you two look pretty disappointing for graduates of the academy."

Sasuke's eyes went wide and then narrowed in anger over the insult. Sakura gulped as she looked back and forth between her team-mate and her teacher, wondering whether she should feel insulted or nervous. Kakashi didn't seem to be very forgiving as he shrugged and paced back and forth a bit in front of them as he continued to speak.

"Its my understanding that your squad didn't have a third member yet, do you have any news of him?" Sakura raised her hand spiritedly, she always loved to be of help with the teachers with her smarts.

Kakashi lazily pointed at her to indicate she could speak before she said her answer proudly.

"Iruka-sensei said that the Hokage would send him over as soon as possible sir." Kakashi shrugged and looked over to the classroom's balcony, feeling the sun intensify a bit.

"Well, looks like we won't have to wait so long after all. He's been here the entire time." Sakura and Sasuke followed his eyes to see a person standing there with their arms crossed, watching them.

_'How long has that guy been there..' _Sasuke cursed himself for not noticing sooner.

_'Whoa...his white robes let him blend in perfectly, I couldn't see him at all at first. I wonder if he is from a particular clan or something, I've never seen that kind of clothing before.'_ Sakura looked him over, impressed with what she saw.

Kakashi appraised him lazily as well, but instead of insulting him shrugged. The headband was enough to tell them that he was the real deal for their third member.

"You'll do. I think we should go ahead introduce ourselves since none of you know me and you especially don't know our new arrival. Meet me on the roof." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the three alone in the quiet classroom.

"Well shall we go-" Sakura stood up and got ready to invite the other when he was already gone from his place on the balcony; Naruto had already started to climb up the wall when Kakashi disappeared.

She scratched her head, surprised at the new guy's ability. First he snuck up on them while they were in the classroom and then he had the ability and speed to scale the roof quicker than they could get up from their seats.

"Let's go then Sas-" Sakura turned to see the boy was already leaving the room, and her, behind. "Hey wait for me!"

000

And we shall stop it there, hope you enjoy. Be sure to review and ask questions, I will release this now and get to work on White Flame's next chapter.

Peace out!

Review!


	3. The Beginnings of Team 7, Tension

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 3

The Beginnings of Team 7, Tension.

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Alright, for this long awaited chapter we have Naruto and the squad getting introduced and relatively getting their feelings on each other out. After that, Kakashi does his bell test to see if an assassin can really work with a book smart fan girl and a haughty Uchiha. Well, I'm sure Naruto can meet his haughtiness with his own, if you haven't noticed he isn't exactly taking the whole integration into ninja life very well.

Now onto the show!

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy Roof_

The three new genin stood apart from one another, each with their own thoughts of their pairings and the teacher himself. At the moment Kakashi just had them facing towards him as he leaned against the guard rail, hoping to fish out some reaction from them. He was especially hoping for Naruto to say something, but he didn't expect much after the first minute or so had passed.

_'Hm..guess he really doesn't remember me..'_

"Is there a point to this? I'd like to get this moving along.." Sasuke and Sakura looked at their team-mate in surprise, they didn't expect him to speak out against the Jonin's instructions.

_'Who is this guy? He must think he is pretty strong to be that bold..I wonder how I measure up to him.'_ Sasuke analyzed him, finding it difficult to get a good reading of his strength with only knowing him for a few minutes.

_'What? I've never seen someone speak out against a sensei so casually..I hope we don't get dragged into this too..'_

**'_If we do, we'll just have to beat the crap out of him after this is over!'_**

Sakura didn't like it but she had to concur with her inner personality, getting on their teacher's bad side so early would only spell trouble for them. The guy had obviously not taken any class with them in the academy so she couldn't read him or his personality very well, however, if he thought he could get away with that talk he was dead wrong. Their teacher may have seemed like a slacker with his tardiness but Sakura could tell he was a very powerful shinobi and she was taught that the powerful demanded respect, which she would readily give.

"Oh ho..." Kakashi pretended to be surprised by the outburst. "Looks like someone is in a hurry, anything in particular you would like us to do next?" Naruto stared him down with a serious face, he didn't like being made fun of.

"I expected you to actually teach me something or take us on a mission, isn't that your duty as a Jonin of this village?" He responded, sarcastically.

"Who do you-"

"Alright, how about we learn a little about everyone here for our introductions then we can see about teaching _you_ something." Sakura was about to reprimand him when Kakashi read the situation and settled to appease the blonde.

Naruto stood there a moment, unmoving. Sakura figured he would try and make another argument but surprisingly he knelt down on one knee to get comfortable and waited. Sasuke huffed and soon sat down too in his usual thinking pose with both hands interlaced in front of his face. The only female looked between the two as if she missed the memo and just gave an explosive sigh before sitting down in the middle. Kakashi gave a forced smile at their reactions and decided to move on.

"Well, now that we are all settled, let's start with your introductions. Why don't you start since you seem so eager to move on.." Kakashi pointed at Naruto and the boy shrugged and hesitated giving Sakura her chance to intercede.

"But sensei, you should go first to show us what we should do. What are we even supposed to say? Its not fair to-"

"My name is Naruto Namikaze, son of Minato Namikaze and the Yondaime Hokage." Sakura and Sasuke's heads swiveled as soon as he said those words, there was no way that he was the son of the Fourth!

"But..I thought the Fourth didn't have any children.." Sakura mumbled as she tried to remember what she read in her text books while Sasuke just eyed Naruto in a whole new light.

_'Son of the previous Hokage? He must be powerful, he is a perfect match up on this team after all, I thought I'd be stuck with Sakura this entire time, but it looks like I have a real sparring partner.'_

"I have few likes that I would share with you, and even less personal information that would be safe to say. It isn't like my clan to involve outsiders in our personal affairs.." They figured his clan was pretty tight knit from that statement, especially considering they hadn't seen any around before like him.

"But its safe to say that I hate criminals and those who would upset peace in the world. I live by the Creed to keep the world in balance.." Kakashi remembered Minato saying similar things to him when he would speak of himself, living by the Creed and protecting innocents.

"And I have but one goal, to resurrect my clan and show Konoha the true might of the Namikaze Assassins!" Sasuke showed response but a nod of his head, he understood the feeling and had a similar goal.

Sakura and Kakashi both felt like that was just skimming the surface of Naruto's thoughts, but it was about all they were going to get out of him. When he said there was little he liked, the Jonin felt a little stab of shame when he did not mention him at all. It seemed Naruto really had forgotten about their relationship over the past eight years.

Sakura on the other hand was very intrigued by what Naruto said, remembering a few texts about assassins in their textbook. There was apparently a clan of assassins that had existed within Konoha since its founding, but they didn't have a compound in the village so it was rare to ever see one. It wasn't until about a decade ago that sightings of them just stopped happening all together and everyone believed they had left. Sakura looked at Naruto again and looked him over, they were described to wear a special robe that not only represented their clan amongst other assassins but also kept all their equipment and hid their identity to an extent.

_'Yep, he looks like the real deal. I wonder what he's doing in our squad though. I figured that if the assassins still were around, they wouldn't want to be seen by the public.'_

"Alright Naruto, that sounded pretty good for putting you on the spot. Now then, how about you." Sakura was still looking at Naruto in curiosity and didn't notice she had been called until a few moments after he said it.

"Uh, right!" She blushed in embarrassment and thought over what to say.

"My name is Sakura Haruno and I'm thirteen years old. I like.." Sakura glanced at Sasuke and blushed again with a dreamy smile. "My dream is..well..I mean what I want to do.." Sakura looked at Sasuke again and blushed before looking back at her sensei. "And my dislikes are other girls who get in my way."

Kakashi sweatdropped, it sounded like this girl didn't have much ambition past getting married to the Uchiha. That would be a problem if she wanted to be a ninja, especially if she wanted to be a ninja on _his_ squad. It looked like she had plenty of intelligence, but her physical activity was low enough where she wouldn't last in a fight for long. He could already tell that their first real mission could be very disastrous.

"Okay..well Sakura that was very..enlightening." Sakura smiled and bowed as if the compliment wasn't sarcastic. Kakashi looked over at the solemn Uchiha and inclined his head. "Your turn."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha..and I don't like very many things. I also have a lot of things I hate.." Sasuke sent a cutting glare toward Sakura but Naruto could feel the intent and met his glare with one of his own.

The stare-off didn't last long between the two before Sasuke looked back and closed his eyes making Naruto look back toward the ground as if nothing happened. Sakura thought that at first Sasuke had been kidding when he looked at her with that stare, but she was literally shaking afterward when it still felt like his eyes were boring into her. Was that really Sasuke telling how he felt about her?

_'Sasuke..'_ She risked a glance toward him to see him collecting his thoughts.

"But I have on goal..no, not a goal. A dream that I will make reality, I will kill a certain someone and restore my clan to its former power. I will stop at nothing to accomplish this and will not accept _any_ obstacle." After the performance, Kakashi felt like there was a lot of pent up feelings already between the three.

_'Maybe I'm over my head on this one.'_

"Okay, now its my turn. My name is Kakashi Hatake and I'm your Jonin instructor..let's see.." Kakashi scratched his head in mock thought while they waited. "I have some things I like..and some things I don't like. Neither of which are relevant..oh, and neither are any of my goals. There ya go." The three had their own reactions to his own introduction, the most animated being no other than Sakura.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" She yelled out loud in frustration making Kakashi do a double take of the polite girl from before to the steaming one now.

"Tch." Sasuke just looked off to the side, not bothering to get involved.

"Hmph..figures." Naruto did the same not wanting anything to do with the argument.

"Hehe..I'm sure we will get along just fine." Kakashi scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward already with their responses. "We'll have our first mission tomorrow, so be ready when you get up in the morning." The three were a bit surprised, they didn't expect their first mission already.

Naruto got up and started to walk over to the ledge making all the eyes shift to him. "I hope its more entertaining than this meeting was.." Kakashi watched him as he went and put on another smile.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be. Its a survival exercise, one in which we will all participate in _together_." Naruto stopped mid-step and turned around, eying Kakashi.

"I was under the impression you were done with exercises, aren't we supposed to have a real mission by now?" Sakura looked between the two for a moment before raising her hand to speak.

"I agree Kakashi-sensei, I mean we already learned all that in the academy right? Shouldn't we be moving onto a real mission to get experience.." She lost her train of thought as the teacher looked at her, quieting her protest.

"This isn't like your other training, its..different." Kakashi answered her while shrugging, enjoying how his nonchalant attitude frustrated the girl.

"Out of the twenty seven graduates, only nine will actually become genin. The others are sent back to the academy in similar tests to this one, to see who really has what it takes to go on missions for the village." That was a bombshell for Sasuke and Sakura realizing they might have to go back to the academy if they fail.

Naruto on the other hand wasn't impressed and crossed his arms in defiance. He never went to the ninja academy and neither was he required to become a ninja in the first place. Even though he didn't care much if the man decided to fail him or not, he doubted that he would be allowed to. Naruto shifted his eyes to the other two genin who looked unsettled, as for them he could care less what happened to them.

_'As long as they stay out of my way during this test, then we won't have any problems.'_

"Well then, if there aren't any questions we're done here. Be at training ground seven at 6:00 and don't be late, be sure to bring all your ninja gear, and.." Kakashi let his voice take a more serious tone to spook them a bit. "don't eat breakfast, or else you'll throw it up."

Naruto shifted and unfolded his arms, that was an odd request. Sakura was surprised too and looked sadly at her stomach, it seemed her diet won this round. Sasuke just glared Kakashi down in challenge, he wasn't afraid of some idle threat.

"Alright then, see ya." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the three genin to go about their own day for the rest of the time.

"Well that was a load of-" Sakura looked to her left and then to her right to see both of her so called team-mates leaping off the edge of the building, not bothering to listen to her.

_**'Who the hell do they think they are?'**_

Sakura fizzled for a little bit before stomping her foot on the ground and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"WHY DO THEY ALWAYS IGNORE ME?"

000

_Konohagakure_

_Streets_

Naruto left the angry Haruno and brooding Uchiha for his own preparations for their test tomorrow. While he had the utmost confidences in his own abilities, he couldn't say he trust his team-mates to do much. In that respect and also because it was long overdue, Naruto decided it was time to pay a visit to a specialty shop that used to cater to his clan for supplies. It wasn't a normal ninja store, they didn't sell the right weaponry that the Namikaze favored so that meant Naruto had to go off the beaten trail a bit.

As he walked through the alleys, he realized that he would eventually have to walk amongst the people if he wanted to get where he needed to go. He remembered that his father said the people were not ready for his return yet, so he decided to forgo the streets and head for the roof instead. With a quick climb up the side of the building's wall, Naruto was jumping to and from rooftops to reach his destination.

A few other ninja were out that day it looked like, he saw their blurs jump to and from nearby rooftops and wondered what their destination was. Would they notice him? What would they do?

_'What can they do? As long as I have this headband, they won't touch me.'_

Naruto felt a certain level above all these shinobi of Konoha for some reason, but his cockiness was even starting to disturb himself. The way he talked to the Jonin wasn't the best way to handle things, but he couldn't stand just waiting around and doing nothing. He wanted to learn what he could and do what he had to before moving on, he didn't expect to do much more for the village than that.

He neared his destination, a seemingly innocent rooftop with a small ledge on one side. Naruto moved over to the ledge and hung from it to have a better view of the wall; there was a small window he could jump through to get inside. Naruto swung his body to get enough power and jumped through effortlessly where he landed feet first inside.

The building was apparently made of only a few rooms but Naruto was currently inside the storage area. He figured that since there was plenty of ninja equipment in the back the store doubled as a ninja shop as well to keep others from asking questions. Naruto made his way to the front of the warehouse room and hoped the owners were still around, let alone remember what an assassin looked like.

Pausing at the door, Naruto tried to listen for any activity on the other side. Some light muffles were heard through the door, but nothing that gave away a person. Naruto sighed as he set his gloved hand on the doorknob and hoped there really was someone here. Apparently from what his father said, they were the only ones willing to supply the Namikaze anything these days and were supposedly very loyal.

_'They'd better be here, or else I'll hunt them down myself.'_

Naruto opened the door and entered the main room. Within there was little in the way of furniture, but it was radically different from the dusty dark warehouse in the back. Decorated with the Namikaze symbol (Assassin Diamond) from hanging flags, they made it obvious who they proudly served. A few neat cushions lay on the clean floor along with a couch nearby for comfortable sitting while browsing a catalog or speaking with friends. And finally there was a counter where customers made their purchases, it was made of some sort of wood but better yet there was someone behind it to speak with.

Even better, there were two. A father along with a younger girl, around his age if not a little a younger. The older man had light bark brown hair that was tied into a small pony tail. The girl had long brown hair that reached far down her back, even longer than Sakura's. Both eyed his entry with interest as if they had been expecting him or at least someone to walk in for quite some time.

"Namikaze-sama, we are honored to have you here again. Please, enter." The man graciously bowed along with his daughter as he welcomed him in.

_'They seem polite enough..'_

"Its good that this business still exists, I was afraid it would become inactive as time passed." Naruto remarked as he walked over to one of the flags, feeling the texture and realized it wasn't brittle and old but newly sewn.

"We have waited for your arrival for quite some time Namikaze-sama, we were alerted that you would visit us around this time many years ago. When we finally reached this month, my daughter and I practically leaped for joy I kid you not! She spent many months creating those tapestries to hang up for your arrival.." Naruto heard him trail off and looked behind him to see them slightly shaking in anxiousness, especially the girl.

"They are wonderfully crafted, you truly have a talent for this." Naruto said with genuine interest as he smiled at them. "May I have your names? My father never told me who to expect when I came to this safe house, I figured it would be abandoned." The two looked at each other as if they were surprised by his kindness.

"_But father, I thought you said they weren't as polite. He seems very nice.."_

"_Yes, I'm surprised as well. Let us hope we can sell him something and keep him happy!"_

Naruto listened in on their private conversation and frowned as it seemed his clan wasn't known for being very kind to those who helped them. Even though things didn't go the way the Namikaze would have wanted, Naruto didn't see it as giving them permission to treat people so badly.

"M-my name is Ai, Ai Shimizu. Its a pleasure to meet you Namikaze-sama." Naruto could barely hear her with such a soft voice but thought the name was simple and rolled off the tongue well.

"Ai..that means love doesn't it?" She quickly nodded and Naruto smiled. "It fits you, as does your surname." She wasn't sure she understood but she blushed at his smile, her father had prepared her for the worst but he seemed so nice.

"And you sir?" The man had waited to be acknowledged and bowed again, even lower because he was a self-sworn servant to the Namikaze since birth.

"My name is Kaito Shimizu, it is a pleasure to serve you Namikaze-sama. My family has been helping the assassins of the Namikaze for the past five or six generations, since Konoha's founding. As I have served, so shall my daughter, we do so with pleasure knowing we help you who keep the world in check and balance. Those who strike out against the corrupt in the open and then leave without a trace. We praise-" Naruto held up a hand for silence as he snickered, surprising the man.

"I mean no disrespect Shimizu-san, however, you do not have to speak such a eulogy to me. I am a mere novice assassin of a dead clan, I don't deserve such praise when I have not even made a single kill." They were shocked into quiet, they had never heard of a humble Namikaze since the Fourth. "But thank you, it pleases me to know that some people still see my clan in a good light. What little light there is left, that is." Naruto ended on a sad note as he looked back at the Namikaze emblem in sad remembrance.

"Ah..of course Namikaze-sama! The disrespect the village showed your family for the past decades has been almost unbearable for all Shimizu. It was only by Minato Namikaze-sama's words that kept us from open revolt, he told us that we must bide our time and wait for someone to come along and bring light back to the village. He said that the person would make an appearance some time in the future, so we figured it would be..you." He finished uncertain as Naruto seemed a bit confused but also shocked, his father said that of him?

"Did you know Minato-sama?" Ai asked uncertain but curious from Naruto's reaction to the name; he nodded.

"Yes..he is..my father." Naruto was joined in shock by them again as he contemplated just what it was his father had expected him to do.

_'Father, you said you didn't want me to feel pressured into bringing the Namikaze back yet..you gave these people false hope that that was indeed my plan from the start. What were you trying to accomplish?'_

"Minato-sama is your father..so that means..you are Naruto-sama?" He was surprised when Kaito immediately stepped out from the counter and bowed deep in front of Naruto, almost touching the ground with his forehead.

"I, Kaito Shimizu, swear to serve you with my loyal service until the day my body can no longer be of use to you. I also swear that my dau-" Naruto wasn't used to this behavior and sought to stop him before he made a mistake.

"Now wait-"

"Father! You said you would allow me to make the decision!" Ai shouted annoyed at her father's ignorance as they turned to watch her walk up to Naruto and bow next to her father.

"I, Ai Shimizu, swear to serve you for as long as my body will allow me to, so that you may spread your creed and your justice across the shinobi nations." Naruto couldn't find anything to express what he was feeling now, surprise, pride, anxiousness?

"I..I don't know what to say.." They remained in their place, not meeting his eyes. "Please rise, there is no need to bow to me.." They looked at each other and then slowly stood up and looked at him uncertain of his words.

"I don't know if I'm worthy of those oaths, but I'll do my best to make sure you won't regret saying them. Thank you for your support." Naruto slowly took off his hood allowing them to see his face before giving them a small bow in return as thanks.

"Naruto-sama.." Kaito began to tear up in pride and quickly wiped them away. Ai blushed at seeing Naruto's face and just smiled at his kindness.

"Well, I'm sure you didn't come here just to make sure we were still around. Please Naruto-sama, let's get you some supplies." Naruto looked up and saw the two had walked back to the counter and were waiting to take his order, both with smiles on their faces.

Naruto stood straight again and put his hood back over his head, all the while smirking. It seemed that the Namikaze name truly did have strong followers still and Naruto was determined to spread their influence even further. If he had to pass some survival exercise, then he would do so with the best the Shimizu had to offer.

"Very well then, I'll have the usual load out." Kaito reached behind the counter and grabbed a small piece of paper where he had written down what the Namikaze usually chose when they came, expecting such for the occasion.

"Our pleasure, Namikaze-sama."

000

It wasn't long before they brought out all the supplies they kept in the back specifically made to be sold to the Namikaze. Not cheap knockoffs or shoddy ninja shuriken or kunai, it was high quality weaponry made straight from the forge of Kaito Shimizu. They laid out a few of the many pieces of equipment Naruto had requested allowing him to look them over, and he was impressed with what he saw.

With the throwing knives, they were finely sharpened to the point that it seemed as if they could be thin as paper and still pierce through steel without breaking. Each was finely engraved with the Namikaze emblem and with its own design of waves or wind that made up the small hilt.

_'"The advantage of throwing knives over standard ninja weapons is that they are lighter than even a shuriken and, from the right forger and in the hands of a skilled assassin, can be shot off faster and do more damage than any jutsu." That's what you said, isn't it father? Well, these were made by a good smith..only time will tell if they are in the hands of a skilled assassin.'_

"Are they good enough for your standards, Namikaze-sama? If not I'm sure I can find something else use-" Kaito seemed concerned that Naruto was not satisfied but was soon put to ease by the boy.

"That isn't it at all, I was just admiring the fine craftsmanship. Your family is full of surprises." Kaito smiled and bowed again in thanks, it was rare he had been complimented by a Namikaze before now.

Naruto began to fit then onto his leather chest armor where they hooked in on either side of his ribs. When he had ten in all, he moved onto the next piece that Ai brought out. They were a few randomly assorted vials where some were of a pinkish red hue that felt warm to the touch while others were a dark black like ink.

"What are these?" Naruto asked as he picked up one of the red glasses, examining it as he put it up to the light.

"You see my daughter-"

"Father!" Ai glared at him before looking at Naruto with an embarrassed blush. "Sorry Naruto-sama, my father seems to forget that I can speak for myself. You see, those are a variety of potions I have created in my time after reading some old alchemy books my grandmother had. They can heal numerous wounds or poisons that you might encounter, although I think they have a vile taste." Naruto looked at them with a new eye, they would indeed be helpful should he run into a wound he could not walk off.

"How does it work?" Ai gulped and began to feel more confident as he seemed interested.

"With certain natural ingredients, they can act as stimulants for your body to increase production of cells, particularly red blood cells. That leads them to move to the wound quicker and then solidify into a scab before the skin's natural healing process is also sped up. I'm not sure of the specifics, but I have made sure to test it with cuts and such before I continued to make them." Naruto looked at the girl in surprise, she was very dedicated to do such a personal test just to make sure they would work.

"Thank you, I'm sure I'll run into plenty of situations where I will find them particularly useful." Naruto set it down and then picked up one of the dark vials. "Now, I'm guessing this isn't a healing elixir?"

Ai shook her head. "No, it isn't. That is a poison I created that you can lace with any of your weapons and it comes in two types. One allows for a paralysis of their bodies as soon as it enters their system, which can be just from a small cut or incision. The other is much more lethal and will, after entering the target's bloodstream, begin to shut down their internal organs starting with the heart." Naruto felt in danger just holding the vial; that was good, it meant that it would make for a great weapon.

"The actual liquid has an adhesive property to it that allows it to cling to any weapon you put it on so that it won't drip off or lose potency. It can also last for over 24 hours after being applied so you can apply it before a mission the previous day. If you ever need to change the type of poison all you have to do is dab a bit of water onto a cloth and it will come off the steel easily as if you were picking up dust." Naruto was impressed, the girl had a variety of useful skills for such a young age.

"You would make a fine medical ninja if you wanted to, Ai-san. Not only can you heal a person but you are still deadly with such a potent poison attack." Ai had never given thought of being a ninja and was glad to know her skills were that impressive.

"I see you already have your longsword Namikaze-sama, so we will move onto the grand finale. I have been working on them since your father requested it over a decade ago, and I finally finished the engravings just a few years ago. I have kept them within a scroll for safekeeping since.." Kaito went into the room behind the counter, parting the cloth to enter to rummage through more storage.

"Ah, here it is." He returned for a very intricate scroll with a silver cover protecting its fragile holdings.

Opening it up, Naruto saw multiple seals that were used to protect it from the incorrect person from opening it. From his father's books Naruto recognized the blood seal of not only Namikaze but Shimizu as well, a time-lock seal, and even a heat sensor in case someone tried to crack the others with a certain type of method other than with DNA.

"Naruto-sama, if you would." Kaito and Naruto cut their thumbs to draw blood and placed them over the corresponding seals and were satisfied by a small hint of light and heat beneath their fingers before the scroll fully unrolled to reveal a pair of weapons.

No, not weapons; they were works of art.

"These are.." Naruto picked both up and gripped them from their hilts, holding them in a standard reverse grip his father had taught him with such agile weapons. "Tanto blades..except they seem to be slightly longer than the standard. They also have a bit of a curve to them along the length of the blade.."

"Yes, they are specifically designed for combat against ninja and other unarmored opponents. The curve will give you an advantage at cutting your opponent and the extra length gives you a little breathing space from you opponent each time you go for an attack. Not many assassins carried these blades though because they felt it would be unnecessary to use with their own natural speed coupled with a hidden blade, figuring it was unnecessary baggage." Naruto placed the two weapons into the leather sheathe on his back with either hilt ready to grab from behind his shoulders.

"Yes, well we see where that led them. They are beautiful weapons Kaito-san, and I will take pride each time I use and care for them." The man nodded, he had treasured them as he created them and was glad they would be put to good use and in good care.

"I believe that is all Namikaze-sama, you will be ready for anything that can be thrown your way tomorrow." Naruto nodded and started to look around for an exit since he didn't like the idea of going out the window again.

"Is there a better exit than the window I entered from in the warehouse? I'd prefer to have one in a bit more convenient spot." Kaito smiled and walked over to an unassuming wall where he crouched down and made the ram hand sign.

"_Release."_ The stone disappeared like a mirage to reveal a small crawlspace that led back out to the alley where the window was adjacent to.

"This is your quickest way out from this room Namikaze-sama, it was made long ago after assassins began making regular trips to see us." Naruto knelt down and looked himself and agreed it would make for a good exit.

"Sounds good.." Naruto reached beneath his robes and grabbed a small sack of ryo, even though they served the Namikaze they had to get paid for their services. "Here is your payment for the wonderful supplies you have given me, I promise to visit as often as I can and keep you up to date on my progress." Kaito graciously accepted the money with a bow and waved off to Naruto as Ai walked over to them.

"It was a pleasure having you here Namikaze-sama." They bowed as Naruto began to leave.

"Good luck on your test Naruto-sama!" Naruto turned his head from the crawlspace and waved with his left hand, revealing something that surprised Ai.

When Naruto was gone, Kaito let out a sigh of relief that the exchange had gone over well and sat down on one of the cushions. Ai sat down as well but had a blank look on her face as she tried to figure out what she saw.

"Father..I saw something on Naruto-sama's left hand. It was on his-"

"Ring finger? Yes, all Namikaze assassins have the same thing, it shows their allegiance and proves they are who they say they are to informants and such." Ai remembered what she saw, it was the Namikaze emblem that was on his ring finger, like an ink tattoo.

"A unique tattoo that only Namikaze assassins know how to apply to one another, I'm sure its a simple seal jutsu of some sort, but its one of their many hidden clan secrets. They are applied to every assassin that is employed under the Namikaze banner, whether they be blood or not. Although I'm not sure if there is something that represents a pureblood from someone recruited or married into the clan." Ai didn't know what to think of it at that point, she just hoped that Naruto would fulfill his promise of returning to see them.

She was already starting to enjoy his company she thought with a blush.

000

_Next Day_

_Konohagakure_

_Team 7 Training Grounds_

After eating a light breakfast and doing his morning stretches, Naruto made his way for the training ground that his team was to assemble at. It wasn't that he forgot his sensei's instructions, its just he chose to ignore them in favor of common sense. Shinobi were known for deception and he had no reason to trust the man, besides, he doubted that there was something that could unsettle his stomach at the training grounds.

His father covered that much in training and it was a disgrace to think otherwise.

It wasn't long before Sakura and Sasuke arrived, the former looked worse for wear as she constantly yawned and barely opened her eyes at all for the time they were there alone. Sasuke looked about the same as always, well rested and ready for anything, similar to Naruto in a sense. Both shared a simple nod in acknowledgment but Sakura was too tired to do anything but wave upon first arriving.

It wasn't long before Kakashi arrived, at least after they waited for the first hour and the sun had easily risen up in the sky. He looked them over for a bit and noticed that while the other two had packed their bags full of what was sure to be useless survival junk, Naruto had instead chosen to go a more..armed route. It wasn't difficult to see the glint of well-crafted steel from Naruto's back and chest and it wasn't long before the other two took into notice as well. Sakura looked on at him amazed that he was carrying so much weaponry, but also wondered if he knew how to use half of it.

_'I have to remember..he is an assassin. I did some studying last night and it seems like he is the last one Konoha has..a trained killer in all arts of not only shinobi but stealth as well. Even if he is the same age as Sasuke-kun and I, I don't even think he could match up to Naruto.'_

Sasuke was impressed but found that showing such an emotion wouldn't help his own cause much. He merely waited for Kakashi to get on with the exercise and did his best to ignore Naruto.

"Well, glad to see you all prepared for this exercise. Now then shall we jump straight into the exercise? Oh yeah..pardon my tardiness but I got lost on the path of life, you know how it is." Sakura thought he should be thanking kami herself that she was still a bit tired otherwise she would have reprimanded him for being late.

Kakashi walked over to one of the three stumps and placed a clock from his bag on top of it. He hit the top to start the clock and pointed at the clock hands as they began to move as to explain the reasoning.

"It's set for noon, you have until then to get one of these bells." Kakashi reached into his pocket to reveal two bells tied to red string which he soon tied to his waist. "Whoever gets a bell will pass and those who don't will fail and be sent back to the academy. Any questions?" He said with a mocking smile as the three thought over what he said.

"But sensei..there are only two bells.." Sakura thought it over and realized that it was setup for a free-for-all, they couldn't all pass.

Sasuke eyed the two on his right with suspicion, he would get one for sure. The Namikaze might not care much since he didn't go to the academy to begin with, but he still seemed capable of getting one. If that was the case, it would come down to him and Sakura; he smirked, that equation worked itself out.

_'I'm guaranteed to pass this, too bad for Sakura. Oh well, at least I'll get away from her by making her fail.'_

"That's right Sakura, only two will become full-fledged genin, the other will be sent back to retake the course." Sakura sweatdropped as she looked at the two on her left and right, there was no way she could equal either in strength or agility.

Sakura looked left at Sasuke._ 'I know Sasuke-kun's abilities from the academy, top notch in all aspects. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, even genjutsu were all high marks..that's not even including ninja tools..'_ Then she looked right at Naruto. _'And I don't even want to guess what his strengths are, he is an assassin for crying out loud. One of the guys that are fairy tale monsters that kill you in your sleep. For all I know he could be stronger than Kakashi-sensei..'_

She looked back and forth before sighing and looked at the ground in defeat, even her inner self had no comment. Kakashi saw the silent exchange and realized the girl was doubting herself, a lethal thing for a shinobi, but it was something she would have to work past herself.

"You may use any weapon including shuriken and kunai. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, then you won't get a bell." Sakura was surprised, how could he think they would have any chance or inclination to want to kill him over a bell.

"Sensei, those weapons are dangerous! Someone could seriously get hurt." Kakashi looked at her and gave her a smile while his words were meant to sting.

"Don't worry Sakura, I could have my eyes shut and not get hit by your attacks. I'll be fine, and I promise I won't use them against you, better now?" That remark made Sasuke pissed and he glared at the cocky Jonin, who did he think he was?

Sakura deflated, it seemed that she had even less chance of success now. Her skills in ninja tools were average at best and she wasn't physically adept enough to use them as close-range weapons, making her have even less capability of facing him in combat. She looked at Naruto to see his reaction to the teacher's insult, already knowing Sasuke's, but was shocked when she saw a smile underneath the hood.

He was.._excited_?

"You can start when I say start, understand?" He laid it out clear and simple for them by speaking slowly acting as if they were children.

Kakashi looked between all three of them and then shrugged.

"Start." Sasuke and Sakura immediately leaped away from him and found hiding spots in the trees or bushes, turning their eyes back to see Naruto remaining in the same spot.

_'What's Naruto doing? Shouldn't he be hiding right now?'_

_'I wonder what your plan is? Its probably good if you think you can take Kakashi in the open..'_

Kakashi eyed him oddly, as if he was confused why Naruto of all people wouldn't disperse.

"Didn't you hear me? The exercise has started." Naruto just kept smiling as he stood there watching him; Kakashi felt an odd feeling in his gut but shrugged it off with his usual attitude before getting out his book to read.

"For an assassin, you must not like stealth much right? Or maybe you aren't so good at it.." Naruto recognized the jibes and just ignored them, he hadn't hid on purpose.

"Since I'm not trying to kill you, what's the point in hiding? You'll still probably figure out where I am anyway unless I _really_ try to hide, then you'd never find me. So better I stay right here, where I can clearly see you and those bells." Kakashi looked up from his book and realized that Naruto wasn't hiding on purpose, and that meant he had a plan.

"So what are you going to do? Stare me down until I give you a bell?" Naruto shrugged and Kakashi sighed, he figured Naruto would lose interest and had back into the forest if he just read his book.

Which is what he did and that led to his first mistake; taking Naruto out of his sight.

With a flick of his wrist, Naruto quickly and silently took out a single knife and threw it straight at the man's head. Since he had let his guard down, Kakashi didn't notice it until it was well into a kill zone. If it was a kunai, he might have been able to dodge it in time but with its increased speed Kakashi could only react to its impact with a surprised result. The other two were shocked to see their sensei's reaction and Naruto's sheer ability, they couldn't even see the knife even before he threw it.

It was only _after_ the knife had sunk its teeth right through _Icha Icha: Makeout Paradise_ did all three turn their attention straight to the assassin. Naruto smirked as Kakashi shakily eyed his book as it was, in shambles with at least half the book impaled clean through with the knife making it clearly unreadable.

A total loss.

Kakashi dropped the book and looked at Naruto with a certain edge to his eyes, anger and frustration he hadn't expected to receive from a student, even an unruly one. But this wasn't just his student, it was Naruto Namikaze, an assassin trained by the best one to ever live within Konoha. Sasuke and Sakura could only look at Naruto in an even higher light now, his skills were beyond what they could imagine even with such a simple display.

_'Amazing..Naruto you're so..amazing.'_ Sakura was wowed by his technique, she hadn't categorized any other boy's skills with the word since Sasuke, but she couldn't lie over something like that.

_'Well well Naruto..impressive indeed. Just what I'd expect from the lone wolf of the clan, just like me.'_ Sasuke smirked as he watched their teacher's expression, realizing Naruto wouldn't be a bad partner after all.

Naruto snickered at the man's reaction as he got into a hunched stance with his leather arm guard up in defense and ready to launch his blade quickly in case of attack. Now it was his turn to mock the teacher as he had the upper hand.

"Are you just going to stare me down until noon? I think play time is over.._try_ to impress me, this time without any.._distractions._"

000

And I got that chapter done, finally. Sorry it took so long since even though I have the outline of the story done, I also really want to flesh out and have entertaining branches that I can go off into a tangent as a short side quest arc or chapter. For example the Namikaze shop I had planned since the beginning but I didn't have Ai or Kaito made, they seem like they could make for interesting characters in the future.

Also, Naruto is already showing off his skills. Nothing too strong but definitely a bit flashy, he's trying to show he isn't playing games and he wants a bell. How will Naruto do against Kakashi and how will the exercise end when Naruto has nothing to lose while Sakura and Sasuke have everything at stake?

Find out next chapter!

Review!

See ya!


	4. Learning the Ropes

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 4

Learning the Ropes

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Now onto the show!

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Team 7 Training Grounds_

Kakashi settled into a basic offensive stance as he stared down Naruto, even if the boy was skilled he couldn't go all out against him. That would defeat the purpose of the exercise if he didn't give them at least a _chance_ to win. Still, Kakashi thought with a vengeful smirk, he could hurt Naruto a little more than the others thanks to his father's training.

Naruto just waited in his defensive stance for Kakashi's response. The other two stayed in their hiding spots, not knowing what else to do but watch as the most skilled of them fought Kakashi one on one.

The Jonin glanced at his destroyed book and, with speed only gained through years of conditioning, knelt down and threw the knife right back at Naruto. If Naruto's attack looked like a flash of light, Kakashi's easily surpassed it in speed and accuracy as it was well on its way to where Naruto stood waiting for it. It was to his secret disdain his opponent had been allowed to use his own equipment against him, one that he promised not to allow a second time.

The knife was headed straight for his thigh, a non-lethal attack designed to wound him enough to keep him out of the battle. A good strategy, if Naruto allowed the knife to hit.

With reflexes unknown to only the most skilled of the village, Naruto knelt and caught the knife between his fingers without as much as a scratch. The two genin did not have enough time to be amazed as they saw their sensei appear in front of Naruto and prepare a strong elbow to his gut.

_'No! Look out Naruto!'_ Sakura covered her mouth and wanted so much to look away, she knew how much it would hurt.

Sasuke just kept watching because from what he had seen from Naruto so far, a counter to this move wasn't outside of his abilities.

Naruto twirled the knife around his fingers so that he was now gripping it as a weapon and attacked Kakashi's outstretched arm. Seeing the danger, the man began to jump back instead to forfeit his attack in turn for safety. Naruto stopped his attack mid-stretch and twirled the dagger around again, sending it straight for the man this time, no ulterior target to stop the attack.

Kakashi didn't have the sheer speed and reflex Naruto had, he calculated. To try and catch it might lead to even more damage to himself and leaving himself vulnerable to a counterattack.

Naruto made a dash forward with lightning speed to try and catch Kakashi, realizing what he was about to do. Before he could reach out and grab him, the man disappeared in smoke and the dagger impaled a log. Naruto silently cursed and pulled his weapon from the discarded wood, pulling it close to his eyes to observe. Finding nothing wrong, he nodded and placed it back on the leather vest where it belonged.

Naruto looked around for a moment, trying to sense his sensei's new location. He was no sensor type ninja, however, that wasn't what he used to know his surroundings. Minato had taught him to use his own senses, sometimes amplified by chakra, to sense his enemies. With knowledge combined from stolen documents of the Inuzuka clan and old clan techniques, Naruto was just as effective as the best tracker in all of Konoha.

The Jonin did a good job of masking his scent but Naruto easily found him hiding within the forest, not too far off from Sakura. It looked like he changed targets after he realized that Naruto was a bit too much to handle on open ground. As the blonde walked over to the discarded book remains, he contemplated helping her. Sure, he didn't really know her and she was technically a rival in this exercise..and she wasn't exactly the most stable girl he had seen.

Then again, Naruto wasn't exactly the most normal of people either. Living in an empty compound for several years and speaking to your dead father through technology you barely understood, there were few that could boast the same.

Naruto picked up the book and looked at its shredded cover, frowning at the choice in literature. It seemed the man was as lecherous as he was lazy. To think he was more interested in reading this than teaching Naruto something useful, that annoyed him.

Naruto looked again toward the spot where Kakashi was approaching Sakura in a slow stalking manner. He didn't realize it, but he had just made his own student dislike him further. Naruto made the ram hand sign with a single hand as he held the book in the other and concentrated for a moment. The book suddenly burst into ashes from a sudden electric burst that emanated from the palm of his hand.

Kakashi unknowingly flinched from this action as he readied his genjutsu for Sakura, he got a chill run through his spine.

_'What could that have been? This day just keeps getting worse..first I lose half of my book to my sensei's kid and then I get embarrassed in front of the two other kids when he almost made me break a sweat!'_

Naruto smirked and ran into the forest after Kakashi, he wasn't about to let a good fight go to waste when he had the man where he wanted him.

Sasuke still remained in his hiding spot, crouched on a tree branch waiting for a chance to strike. That chance had not come and instead he was treated to a show as his teacher almost lost to a fellow genin. That was enough to put a smirk on his face and he almost felt like laughing when Naruto, as if to rub it in further, burned the book or what was left of it.

When the assassin ran into the forest toward where he could only figure Kakashi had run off to, it was a matter-of-course the Uchiha followed. There would surely be a chance for him to join the fight this time, prove himself to the Namikaze and the Jonin, and maybe even see Kakashi humiliated farther.

_'Maybe this training exercise wasn't such a bad idea after all.'_

000

Sakura had watched the battle between Naruto and Kakashi up until its conclusion where the man used a substitution to escape. That was when her brain went into overdrive and she realized the man had used the jutsu to escape a new spot, a spot where a piece of _wood_ could be found. That was in the forest, where _she_ was. That spelled trouble no matter how she looked at it, so she ran as soon as she could to get as far away from the forest as possible.

Of course, Sakura had no way of tracking her sensei. Her abilities were solely in the knowledge of shinobi abilities and techniques, not so much in the ability to _do_ them. Tracking him through chakra sense was out of the question, and she definitely didn't have the enhanced nose of an Inuzuka.

No, Sakura was stuck with the ability any powerless girl had when in danger; two legs.

Her _team-mates _surely wouldn't help her, hell they probably already had the bells and were laughing as they watched her run aimlessly on the grounds from an enemy they had already beat. If she ever got her hands on them..or if they ever _let_ her get her hands on them, there would be hell to pay.

Little did she know, she had already fallen into Kakashi's genjutsu. The fact was she was standing in the middle of a clearing, only thinking she was running through bushes and splashing through puddles from the other day's rain.

Kakashi remained in hiding on a nearby tree branch as he knew that with Naruto's pride, he would come running soon enough. Their battle was far from over and Kakashi was afraid of how far the assassin would take it, absently brushing a hand over his headband to where his sharingan was stashed away. Realizing what he had just done, he lowered his hand and shook his head free of such thoughts.

_'No matter how skilled he is, Naruto isn't strong enough for me to have to use a sharingan on him. That would just prove he's winning in the exercise anyway..'_

He sensed another presence arriving in the clearing and looked down to see none other than Sasuke reveal himself from the brush. The black-haired boy eyed Sakura warily, surely wondering why she was just standing there with a glazed look on her face. Kakashi felt the boy needed more than to just observe the facets of a genjutsu on another person, perhaps he too needed to get a feel for it.

_'Well, they have to learn to see through these things some time.'_ He validated his decision as he created the ram sign and proceeded to place the boy in the same trick as Sakura.

It was then that another Sasuke came running out of the bushes and, seeing himself with Sakura, realized that something was off. Kakashi was confused for a moment until realization dawned on him when the first 'Sasuke' disappeared in a puff of smoke and a dozen shuriken were launched at him from the opposing treeline. Kakashi leaped off the tree branch and blocked the attack with a kunai, quickly observing the grounds now turned battlefield.

Sasuke saw him now and obviously wanted to prove his worth but Kakashi wasn't about to let another ambush lead him into a two versus one. As Sasuke charged him from the front, he risked a look behind him at Sakura to see she was already gone, along with who he figured to be Naruto. As he blocked the Uchiha's first kick with his hand, he thought over the odd behavior of the assassin.

Since when did Naruto care what happened to Sakura?

It just didn't add up and Kakashi wanted to find out the motive behind the move. First though, he had to deal with the overzealous child in front of him now. Sasuke was launching jabs and kicks at his center mass but each was easily dodged or deflected, making him waste more energy each attack as he got increasingly frustrated.

In a sudden move that surprised the teacher, his student sent a kick for his face that forced both his hands up to block. With his foot now caught, Sasuke used the leverage to twist his body so he now was upside down and in clear reach of the bells. Kakashi let go of the foot to swat his hand away when Sasuke again twisted his body mid-air and kicked Kakashi straight in the stomach, sending the Jonin sliding back across the dirt.

It seemed that if Sasuke couldn't take the objective, he was quite willing to settle with hurting Kakashi instead. That was a strategy that didn't bode well for the silver-haired man.

Sasuke was breathing heavily and was hunched over, all the while smirking. Not only had he been able to get through the Jonin's defenses to touch a bell but he also landed a solid kick to his stomach. That was something not even the Namikaze had proven able to do..at least not yet. Too engrossed in his own world, Sasuke did not realize Kakashi had disappeared after going through a few hand signs.

It was only at the point where he was halfway underground that the boy realized his teacher would not be knocked out of a fight from a simple kick. Kakashi stood above him with his arms crossed and a smirk with nothing but a mocking manner to his entire person. Sasuke growled at the man as he patted him on the head and walked off to where he figured Naruto was headed.

"Sorry Sasuke, playing with you was fun and all..but you can't even make me break a sweat. Now if you will excuse me..I have to go stop your team-mates before they eat all my lunch."

The Uchiha could only watch as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving him to slowly wriggle out from under the earth like some mutated plant. It was a shameful embarrassment to his ego, his only solace was that neither of his team-mates were watching. It seemed they were too busy breaking Kakashi's rules of eating early.

What compelled them to do that, well Sasuke had no idea. It was still surprising to him that Naruto had actually _helped _Sakura when instead they could have worked together to take Kakashi down for the bells.

Once he got out of this trap, he would make sure Kakashi suffered a worse fate.

000

Naruto ran through the sparse areas of forest and clearings until he felt he had gotten enough distance from the two battling behind him. He looked down at his baggage, one Sakura Haruno being held in his arms like some princess in a movie. The girl was asleep even after he had released the genjutsu from her consciousness, not that it surprised him. Sakura really didn't strike him as one to be prepared for such an attack on her mind.

He knelt down and laid her out gently on the ground, taking a moment to look over her. No other wounds from Kakashi, that was good. With her just standing there in the middle of the battle it would have been quite easy for her to get hurt and that was _after_ he had arrived.

To provide an ample distraction, Naruto had provided a shadow clone of Sasuke to throw off Kakashi into thinking the Uchiha had gotten there first. It was perfectly timed when Sasuke came running out and threw the man for a loop while Naruto threw a few shuriken and escaped with Sakura. It was wrong of Kakashi to just leave her standing there, stuck in a genjutsu, as bait for them.

So he made the decision to rescue her in a sense, although he wondered now what to do. It was obvious that if he let her, Sakura could probably sleep through the rest of the exercise and that was something he could not allow. An assassin was willing to use anything at his disposal to finish his objective and Naruto was determined to win the exercise no matter what it took, so that meant finding some way to use Sakura.

Bait would be too cruel and it was obvious she wouldn't provide much of a distraction through combat. A rumble from her stomach made him realize that even if she had some skill in fighting, she would not have the energy to make use of it. Naruto remembered the lunches Kakashi had brought and realized they were defenseless, they could allow Sakura to get her strength back and then he could interrogate her on her use to him.

For now though, waking her up would be sufficient.

He felt a certain amount of discretion would be necessary in the process, it wouldn't due for her to be angry at him as soon as she awoke. Naruto contemplated just hitting her in the gut or making a loud noise, but he felt that both of those either wouldn't be pleasant for her or be too loud and reveal their position. In the end, Naruto decided on a more entertaining approach.

They resumed the position of a princess carry until Naruto arrived at the side of the creek that ran through the training ground. He held her over it for a second, silently contemplating the consequences before shrugging and dropping her in, making a decent splash. It wasn't more than a few seconds before she surfaced, spewing water from her mouth and cursing up a storm. Naruto quickly knelt down to her level and shushed her, now only a few inches from her face.

Sakura looked into his eyes as she calmed down a bit, now realizing she wasn't alone or in danger of drowning. They were a beautiful shade of blue and she could just make out lines like whiskers over his tanned skin. This was her first look at him under his hood even if it wasn't intentional and Sakura blushed from her imagination suddenly running wild.

Naruto too got a new look at Sakura, now soaking wet in her tight red clothing and her wet hair floating in the water below her. He realized just how powerful those emerald orbs were as they looked right inside him and he found the way her pink hair glistened in the water made it a beautiful color.

The two were almost close enough to touch and it made them both blush from the proximity.

"Your hair..." Naruto mumbled, not sure how formulate what he thought to words that would do her justice.

Sakura's eyes widened as she heard him mention her hair, a sensitive subject to her. She had always been self-conscious about her pink hair, as her mother's was bright red and her father's blonde. It made her feel..different from the other kids and they capitalized on her insecurities, making fun of how she was different.

"Wha-..what about my hair?" Sakura whispered back, sounding almost desperate. She was only looking for one answer from him and then it would tell her what she wanted to know.

"Its so.." Naruto reached out to feel one of her long bangs that framed her face, making a rare smile break over his face as he felt it gently. "beau-" Sakura's elation suddenly turned to fear as a shadow was caste over Naruto from behind.

He noticed as well and did a sweeping leg kick to try and trip the new arrival but a tough kick to his head sent him flying a few feet away, now motionless. Sakura's eyes shifted from him to their opponent, none other than Kakashi; it seemed that Naruto's distracted mind left him to be unaware of Kakashi's untimely arrival until it was too late.

Sakura openly glared at the man who was almost surprised by her sudden change, from docile to hostile. Maybe the kick had been a bit over dramatic, but he needed to make sure Naruto went down for the count at least for a few minutes.

"You bastard! How dare you do that to him when he wasn't even looking!" Kakashi flinched at her strong words but recovered quickly and sighed.

"Sorry Sakura, but he's a ninja just like you are. I waited for him to drop his guard when he was speaking with you and made sure I only knocked him out. I'm not planning to kill any of you, remember?" Sakura wasn't satisfied by the answer and made to get out of the river and give him a beating but Kakashi was already walking over to collect Naruto when she got out.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing with him!" Kakashi threw Naruto over his shoulder and started walking over to the posts, ignoring her.

Sakura was fuming at this point and it was then that Sasuke made his appearance, coming out of the trees. To his surprise he found Naruto knocked out cold and Sakura looking like she was going to kill Kakashi. Before he could process what was going on, Kakashi walked past him and turned around to look at Sakura.

"Well, you two coming? Its almost noon and you failed to get a bell." Sasuke gritted his teeth and Sakura had forgotten about the bells at this point, only wanting to have Naruto awake again so he could finish what he was saying.

"Well, if you don't want lunch then you can hang out here and go home after noon. If you do want lunch, then come on." Kakashi began to lead the defeated squad to what was sure to be Team 7's first and last failed mission.

000

Naruto awoke only a few minutes after being knocked unconscious, cursing himself for letting his guard down. It was because he allowed his feelings to interfere with the mission and made him lose touch with his concentration. He promised it would not happen again, however, it would be difficult if he was to be forced on a team with the girl named Sakura Haruno.

To avoid from being noticed, he kept his head down to hide his face as he realized he was tied to a stump. It seemed noon had come along as he shifted his eyes left and right to see Sasuke and Sakura eating their lunches with defeated looks on their faces. It seemed as if Team 7 had already given in, but Naruto was not Team 7; he was an assassin. Pride would not allow this capture to stand and Naruto swore he would make Kakashi pay.

All he needed was for the man to make a single sound for him to pinpoint his location, then he would have his revenge. A sinister energy began to flow through his veins as thoughts of death and revenge filled his mind, some by his own thoughts and others by an unknown entity.

There! Naruto could hear his breathing just a few feet in front of him, a deadly smirk settled over his face. He wouldn't kill him, he promised himself, just cause a lot of pain.

Kakashi was surveying his students as they quietly ate their lunches, or in Naruto's case, stood tied to a stump. He held no allusions that once the boy woke, he would be quite angry at his situation, but luckily that had not happened yet. Hopefully he could contain himself long enough to allow Kakashi to explain.

What happened next happened so quick that Kakashi would never have been able to stop it, even if he did know what was to come.

As if the rope was made of paper, Naruto ripped straight through it and made a dash for Kakashi with his hidden blade out and ready to slice. He sent his arm lurching forward with the blade so that it would impale the older man's shoulder, a sure way of disabling his arm. Kakashi made to grab it as the other two could only watch in surprise and horror as the assassin made his deadly retaliation.

Kakashi caught Naruto's wrist and attempted to twist it only to find it was as hard as steel, making his grip slip. Naruto's hood had covered his face from Kakashi's view up until now but the boy looked up at his face and allowed him to see red orbs before the boy launched a few needles from his mouth that embedded themselves in his neck.

Before Kakashi could even bring his spare hand up to remove the needles, his entire body felt like it was made of jello and he fell back just as the knife sliced through flesh. Naruto smiled maniacally at the sight of his blood on his hidden blade and brought it to his face to look at even closer. Kakashi's eyes widened in fear as he realized he really couldn't move, the needles must have had a poison of some sort.

He was completely defenseless to the Kyuubi-influenced Naruto.

Sasuke was smirking like crazy at the sight of Kakashi being downed by his partner, he knew that Naruto had been beaten too easily. What he couldn't see was that Naruto was about on the verge of cackling evilly over the blood on his blade, nor could he actually see just how bad the wound in his sensei's shoulder was.

Sakura was glad that Naruto had defeated Kakashi but..after the first few seconds of laying on him and still not getting up, Sakura knew something was wrong. Even though she was frightened almost to the point of not being able to move, she knew she had to go over and stop him before he did anything else. Maybe he would listen to her..or maybe he wouldn't. He had smiled at her though, a friendly caring smile that she knew was genuine, it was nothing like the fake ones the other kids would give her when she was young.

He really did care about her and now Sakura was going to show she cared too.

Crawling over to the two, she now saw the extent of Kakashi's injury and how scared he looked at the moment. Three little metal shards glistened in the sunlight on his neck and she figured Naruto had shot him with needles to disable his movement, a smart move indeed. The blade to his shoulder was over the top though and it threatened to bleed straight through the jacket.

"Kakashi-sensei.." She mumbled quietly in concern for the man and turned her attention to Naruto who now had his blade ready for another slice, this time at the neck.

"Did you think you had _beaten_ me, Kakashi?..I will show you just how far one can go before death takes them.." Sakura realized what Naruto was foreshadowing in his whispers and grabbed onto his back, gripping him tightly and turning his attention away from their teacher.

"Please stop Naruto! You've beaten sensei already...here look!" She was crying as she showed him the two bells she had taken the liberty of grabbing from Kakashi's belt. "We won see..you don't have to..to fight anymore!" Sakura didn't like seeing him like this, this scary being; she wanted him to smile again.

Naruto broke the unknown entity's hold over him after he was grabbed by Sakura, seeing her cry just made him feel worse. He began to move out of her hold off of Kakashi and turned to look at her, just sitting there and crying while holding those two pitiful bells. Those bells..no the exercise had made him show his killer instincts his father had warned to leave only for assassinations; he had made Kakashi into his target and that was something he was never supposed to do.

Sakura just watched as he got up and walked over to Kakashi's neck and pulled the three needles out. He then unzipped the Jonin's jacket and pulled it back so he could see the wound seeping through the undershirt. The hidden blade once again came out, making Kakashi and Sakura fear another attack but instead the boy used it to cut away the shirt from the wound and quickly make a gauze for it.

Sakura and Kakashi were amazed at his multiple skills as he showed off his medical expertise of treatment on the field. Naruto confirmed to them he had not hit any vital arteries or veins and that once Kakashi's feeling returned to him in the next few minutes, he could safely make it to the hospital.

The assassin walked over to the sniffling Sakura and knelt down to her level, silently and gently taking the bells from her hands and placing them in his pocket for a moment. He then grabbed both of her hands and held them over his own as he kissed them in silent apology for scaring her. Sakura missed the original intention of it after he kissed them and blushed uncontrollably, forgetting her tears instead for the beating of her heart.

"I'm sorry for scaring you Sakura, I shouldn't have done what I did to Kakashi." Sakura was staring at him dreamily, except she was in her own world as she mumbled her response.

"Well as long as you are sorry.." That's all Naruto could hear as he got up and walked over to Kakashi again who was lying down, just watching him interact with Sakura.

"_..as long as you're sorry its alright that you forgot our anniversary, I'll forgive you if you give me a massage." _She giggled to herself and sighed dreamily again as for the first time she daydreamed about a different boy than Sasuke.

"Kakashi.." Naruto knelt down to his teacher and produced the two bells, laying them down next to the man. "It seems I failed this test of teamwork and I almost got you killed. I guess I still need more training to keep my killer instincts inside me, along with a few other things. Until then, I'd only be a danger to these two or anyone working with me and I won't allow that. Please allow these two to pass, they don't deserve the shame of returning to the academy when they weren't even given the chance to have a real team-mate." Kakashi's eyes widened, Naruto had realized the value of the exercise from the start?

"Where will you go now?" He had to ask because it sounded like Naruto wasn't going to forgive himself for this incident.

"I will return to my compound and I doubt I will leave again..for a very long time." Naruto took a lasting look at Sakura as if to take a mental picture before shaking his head; Kakashi swore he could see a smile under his shaded hood as he looked at her.

By the time Kakashi could move and order the two other genin home, Naruto was long gone. He would postpone the results of the test until a few days later, that should give him time to think about what exactly to do in this situation. It would also give him time to recuperate from the wound given to him by Naruto and acknowledge the fact he really isn't the boy from when they lived together.

Naruto was a true assassin like his father, his performance that day proved what happened when you combine his skills with Kyuubi's influence.

If he could not control that blood lust, Kakashi's shoulder paled in comparison to the fate of Konoha.

000

_2 Weeks Later_

_Namikaze Compound_

Naruto sat in a meditative stance in the basement of the main building where his ancestors lay buried. This place helped him focus with its peace and quiet and gave him an odd feeling of recuperation when either his body or mind was tired. He felt that it would be the best place for the mental conditioning he had been putting himself under as both training and punishment for his attack on the Jonin Kakashi.

It was practice of putting up mental barriers that would not allow him to so readily react to assassin 'stimuli' in the environment, giving him time to rationally make a decision. It was also training to better control Kyuubi's power and influence over his body as he realized all too well how dangerous the beast was. His father had let him know of its presence inside him early in the training and made sure Naruto knew that his everyday would be a constant struggle for power with the fox.

So far it had yet to interact with him directly but its release of chakra two weeks ago revealed it was very much awake and very much observant of the world around them. To stop Kyuubi, Naruto had to first keep his own emotions in check before he could hope to tame the beast itself.

That was what he was trying to do, at least until he heard a faint knock on his gate.

Even in his focused condition, Naruto still kept his senses on high alert. The knock still surprised him, not by the fact that he heard it but because of the simple fact someone had located the compound and actually dared to visit him. The only person that knew where it was a Namikaze and possibly the Third. The Hokage sounded like an unlikely culprit due to age but also made the most sense because of how he left the training exercise after technically joining the ninja force; in a way it could be seen as going AWOL.

Either way, a second knock meant they weren't leaving so he got up in a bit of agitated state and made his way through the house and outside to the large door.

The knocking had not grown in sound nor frequency, just the occasional hard tap required to make a sound on the large wooden door. Naruto sighed and opened up the gate with a strong yank on the handles revealing the teeming forest life around the hidden compound. He was taken by surprise though as the visitors were not who he was expecting.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and even Sakura were all standing in front of his gate waiting for him to open it. Kakashi greeted him with an 'eye-smile' and wave while Sasuke just stood there with his hands in his pockets. Sakura had a light blush as she waved and gave a nervous 'hello' to the Namikaze heir.

Naruto was confused, what were they doing here?

"What are you doing here?" _'Better yet how do you even know where 'here' is?'_

"We've come to get you for Team 7's first official mission of course!" Kakashi explained with a little too excited tone that utterly confused Naruto.

"But I'm not part of-" Kakashi held up a hand and sent Naruto a look that showed he was being serious.

"I talked it over with the Hokage, we both feel like while this team could use some work it still has the most potential to succeed." _'Or fail.'_

"That's why even after you left you are still considered a member of Team 7. Now then, are you ready for a delivery mission?" Kakashi was disappointed that all his effort in building up the suspense was met with sighs of disappointment or the usual blank stare from Naruto.

"Great..just when I thought life was getting interesting.." Sakura complained out loud.

"Tch. Figures we don't get a real mission because Kakashi here made us late to pick up our mission for the day." Sasuke rolled his eyes but kept his annoyance in check as usual.

Naruto just sighed and joined them outside the compound, silently closing the door as quiet fell over them.

"Well where's the package, let's get this over with." Naruto seemed somewhat depressed about their first mission together and it brought the group down.

Kakashi produced a scroll that had the client's package sealed within. Naruto eyed it for a moment before Kakashi placed it back safely within his vest's chest pockets. The other two genin fell into step as Kakashi began to lead them out of the forest and toward their destination, Grass Country.

"We are to deliver this package to our allies in Kusagakure, you see we are in sort of an alliance with them since before the Third Shinobi War. We often pass general knowledge back and forth during peace time to keep relations high. We are returning some documents and books back to Grass Country after having them on loan." Naruto just listened and accepted the mission as sounding pretty routine, Sakura raised her hand regardless.

"So Kakashi-sensei..our allies in Kusagakure, they are ninja too?" Kakashi looked at her as they walked at a leisurely pace and nodded.

"Yes Sakura, they are well known for their use of flora in their techniques. The weakness is that their jutsu are most effective with Grass' own plant species, so if their ninja leave their home country the jutsu effectiveness is lost." Sakura seemed to accept the explanation but pressed him for the real answer she wanted.

"Does..does that mean we won't have to fight any ninjas?" Naruto could tell by her voice, she was scared.

It unnerved him, what shinobi was afraid of fighting, of death?

Kakashi realized she needed comfort and patted her head playfully, earning him a glare.

"Don't worry Sakura, its just a C-rank. The worst we might find is a highwayman, no ninja to worry about." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and Sasuke's mood seemed to drop a bit.

Naruto didn't really much care as long as the mission got over with and done quickly. He had better things to do than be entertained as the favored village pet which was obviously the only reason why they allowed him to stay on Team 7 after what happened. They didn't want to lose his cooperation yet because they still needed him.

Naruto would give them the satisfaction of playing along..for now.

Kakashi eyed Naruto as they walked, wondering what he was thinking with what had just happened. Surely he was surprised and most likely suspicious, but it seems as though no memories of Kakashi from before sprang up.

He wouldn't give up though if there was a chance that Naruto still remembered him and he would do everything he could to make Naruto drop his suspicions and show that both he and Konoha meant him no harm, no ulterior motive.

_'Minato-sensei..I wish you were here to give me guidance. What would you do in this situation?'_

000

Yeah, I got tired of Wave so we'll see where this takes us. Let's hope I pull this off well and I hope you enjoyed the chapter and character development.

Review please.


	5. A Kunoichi's Weakness

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 5

A Kunoichi's Weakness

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Now onto the show!

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Land of Grass_

In the country of Kusa, the hidden village Kusagakure resided in the center of a large grassland reserve that found itself eventually surrounded by tall grass and forest. The village itself was not as impressive or large as a major nation's and as such did not have as much of a dominating presence over landscape. The walls were made of tough native bamboo held together by chakra roots used by the original Kusa shinobi who inhabited the grasslands.

The village had only a few hundred inhabitants at a given time, dozens often coming and going with either trade or missions. The shinobi corps was made up of a few dozen Chunin and Jonin while each generation led to a handful of genin going on to learn further. It was a sad note that village elders had recorded a steady decline of shinobi and academy students, such was their position that within a few decades only a small group of ninja would be left within the village.

This of course caused much grief with the elders and the village leadership, however, their funding was not getting any larger as Kusa was a small agriculturist nation with little income. In addition, it had strong allies with Konohagakure to the immediate east and Tanigakure to the south. While this meant little overall income for the shinobi of Kusa, it also guaranteed military intervention from allies should they be attacked and this was enough to keep the Daimyo content.

However, traditionalist shinobi factions did not see this in such a good light. While they knew their country would never be a major nation nor did they wish to try, seeing the destruction of their northern neighbors in their attempt, the still did not wish to lose what they still had. This led to tension following the Third Shinobi War over a decade ago that brought about the formation of a dissident faction.

These shinobi continue to pester the loyalist Kusagakure ninja and hamper what little progress the village makes. Their primary objective seems only to harass Kusa operations but in honest truth they had little info on the groups true plans if any. Without the manpower to deal with such a problem and not wanting to find further embarrassment by asking other nations for support, Kusa kept this a hidden secret.

It wasn't so difficult to do as the ninja rebels kept confined to Kusa. The only problem was when foreign shinobi would enter the land which could definitely lead to a confrontation. It was at this junction after the war that a formal alliance was made with Konohagakure for their help of freeing Kusa from Iwagakure and later Tanigakure for mutual support in case of another war.

The village leader knew that if the rebels could not be directly dealt with, the best they could do was personally lead and protect foreign shinobi while in the land of Kusa. In this was the irony that the rebels targeted Kusa ninja which only led to a higher chance of danger for the travelers. However, the Kusa ninja knew their own backyard well and were able to skillfully avoid the rebels.

Now in current time, Kusa continues to rely on its allies for both trading of goods and knowledge. It is their hope that either a prodigy will come about from their withering crop of students or that a terrible happening will come upon the rebel faction they still knew so little about. It was at this point though that most considered the rebels a fairy tale as none had been encountered for quite some time; something more to scare a child than a Jonin of Kusa.

But the village leader knew they were still out there, and that was why he knew what had to be done when news of a Konoha squad was coming to return sensitive documents. A squad was assembled of three Chunin and two genin to escort their visitors safely to Kusa. To the genin it was seen as a survival exercise and a chance to meet other ninja from a different nation; to the Chunin, it was an unfortunate B-rank babysitting job.

Nothing in a shinobi mission is set in stone though, an important lesson ninja must take to heart. Something that seemed to be lacking in Kusa's teachings that would come to hurt them.

000

_Kusagakure_

_Administration Building_

The administration building of Kusagakure was the equivalent of the Hokage Mansion in Konoha; it was where the ninja leadership was based out of and also where important functions such as mission assignment and archives were held. However, as the village was quite small the building was shared with the civilian arm of government for the city and no one actually lived there as the Hokage did in their mansion.

It was here that the village leader, Akeru Take, was officially assigning the Konoha escort mission to a group of gathered shinobi. He was a middle-aged man who had been part of the Kusa resistance during the Third War and looked over his gathered shinobi with veiled disappointment. While all Chunin were clad in the beige flak jackets of Kusa and sage green clothing dispensed upon promotion, both they and the child genin looked quite unhappy to take on such an important mission.

It seemed most of the village still thought of the rebels as myths, even though the time since their creation hadn't even been two decades.

"Do you understand the mission outlines? Meet our Konoha allies at Tenchi bridge and escort them safely back here, to Kusagakure." The Chunin straightened out and saluted him, allowing the genin to follow by example.

"Yes sir!" The leader of the squad took the mission details from Akeru and placed them safely in his pocket before rejoining his team.

"Remember the importance of this mission, under no circumstances should our Konoha allies come into any danger by the rebel faction based out of the area. The ramifications could be dire if you fail." He warned them in an ominous tone, hoping to rouse them from their laziness.

It seemed to work as a bead of sweat appeared on the genin and lesser Chunin; the squad leader stayed confident and gave him a nod before leading his team out the exit. As soon as they left, Akeru sighed and brought a hand to his forehead in exasperation, even if the rebels were not directly fighting them their presence had plagued both him and the village of Kusagakure for far too long.

_'If only our clan of assassins remained..I could have requisitioned their assistance. Their agile glider troupe would slice through those bandits and rogues with little trouble..'_

The country of Kusa was once home to a small clan of assassins based out of northern Kusa where the forests were the thickest. They made their hideout in the highest of treetops and would freelance their skills to Kusa for a reasonable price, acting somewhat like a mercenary force. The only problem was that they refused to recruit outsiders, instead they were content to allow their customs and their clan to slowly die off with each passing generation.

Now this wouldn't have been a major problem until the Third Shinobi War happened. It was obvious this war had done as much damage to Kusa as it did to Ame or Tani.

The Iwa shinobi steamrolled right through their home territory on the way to Konoha's border. Seeing this as a direct threat to their livelihood, the assassins engaged the Iwa shinobi in hit-n-run attacks and guerrilla raids on their rearguard. For a while, they were able to succeed in hurting Iwa's morale and supplies as they knew the land well and the Iwa shinobi were unable to use their earth jutsu to full effect.

This lasted for a few months until a scouting party revealed the location of their hideout upon the return of a group of assassins from a successful mission. The Explosion Corps, along with a full platoon of Iwa shinobi, were called in to deal with the problem. Upon the operation completion, the giant tree that had housed the assassins was felled and the clan was wiped out. It was said that the infamous Gari of Iwa was killed in this battle and was a great loss to the Explosion Corps talent pool.

The only thing Kusagakure had left that was unique to it was their special flora ninjutsu, the ability to manipulate the local plant life with chakra. Even some of the most skilled users of this special Hiden jutsu were said to be able to create life, similar to Senju Hashirama's ability of Mokuton; alas, no such user currently lived.

So many opportunities lost, sometimes the leader wondered how Kusa still stood with its problems. But how did any nation stand when it should fall? Through lies of course, bluffs of power and dignity long lost. Kusagakure was holding on by a very thin thread, and it was only a matter of time before it snapped. Who would be the one to tie the thread back together?

The Kusa rebels? Over his dead body perhaps. Konoha or Tani? It wouldn't be as bad as some people would think but it was not his place as village leader to say such things.

It was his duty to ensure the rope did not snap, or if it did, hold it together long enough for someone to come along and tie it back together.

_'Perhaps this time..I will ask Konoha for assistance in this matter. Or..perhaps my old pride from my days of resistance fighting will resurface and stop me from doing so.'_

"Sir..another squad has arrived for its mission." Akeru quickly woke from his long stupor and noticed one of his Jonin had arrived with his genin squad, one of the brighter hopes in a dimming world.

"Ah yes, I apologize for the delay. It seems I got lost in thought." The secretary bowed and returned to her own desk while the Jonin apologized for the intrusion.

This particular squad had someone very unique, a red head by the name of Karin. She had come along in a trader caravan and it was said they found her wandering the northern area near the ruins of the assassin guild there. The girl was found to have a great potential for a shinobi career and she quickly proved to be a capable genin, all happening within the span of a month or so.

It was now almost a year since the girl had come, now the age of 13. The man sensed a greater destiny in her and held high hopes she would go far in the village.

"Ah Gen-san, your mission today will be the usual 'Grass Egg Hunt'." A collective sigh came from the genin as the infamous D-rank mission struck again; the Jonin sweat dropped and graciously accepted the contract scroll.

The tall grass that surrounded the village's hilly location was infested with a certain invasive species of tree that came from the outlying forest. As Kusagakure sat in a relatively fortified spot on the hilly plain, the outlying grassland between the forest gave the village a certain safety zone between the large creatures and other..dangers that infested the forest; for the shinobi, it offered a better kill zone and view between the forest and the village for early warning should an attack come.

It was called an egg hunt as the tree species' seeds were quite large and resembled eggs of a bird somewhat. If they were allowed to come to fruition, the village would be surrounded by forest within a few decades and that was something they did not want. So, they employed their bored genin with the job of collecting the eggs from the tall grass every season when the seeds would be released.

Needless to say, it was not a fun task for the young ones to do every year. At the very least it inspired them to try hard to get promoted so they would not have to endure the job as much as it was usually delegated to any available genin before higher ranks were called.

"We will get to work right away sir..come on you three." Gen led his squad out and Akeru chuckled, swiveling his chair to view the small village and the bright morning sun rays.

_'What a beautiful day..but is this a good or bad omen?'_

000

_Konoha/Kusa Border_

_Team 7_

Kakashi led the squad forward through the thick brush of Konoha's forest floor. As they approached the border, he wanted them to stay off the main path as a precaution in case there were bandits waiting at the bridge. It was there they were supposed to expect an escort of Kusa shinobi and because the village wasn't far from the Tenchi, the Kusa shinobi could be expected right at the bridge when they arrived.

It was an odd tradition the village had set, forcing _every_ squad moving through Kusa to be guided by their shinobi. Of course a foreign shinobi should be watched and even deterred from exploring but an allied nation should have a degree of trust. For them to force Konoha shinobi to have babysitters was somewhat embarrassing for the larger nation, but as the village was known for they allowed it for peace to reign between the two nations.

"Kakashi-sensei..is this really necessary? I mean I know a ninja should be able to hide and such but you said Kusa was our ally, why do we have to hide from them?" Sakura complained to their teacher as they walked through bushes and went around large rocks and trees.

"Well Sakura, you said you didn't want a fight. Staying off the main trail is one of the best ways to accomplish that, wouldn't you say?" Sakura pouted and brushed a branch out of her face as they pushed through a bush.

"Yeah but..this wasn't exactly what I had in mind." Sasuke just groaned in annoyance and she quieted down, albeit with stubborn reluctance.

_'Looks like about time I call Naruto back from scouting duty, we are not too far from the bridge.'_

Kakashi made a bird call that echoed through the forest, searching out the assassin that was further on ahead. Instead of a rustle of leaves signaling the boy's return, another whistle was sent back to the Jonin. It seemed the boy wanted them to come to him instead which was fair considering he had probably already reached the bridge.

"Alright, looks like Naruto has arrived at the bridge already. Let's pick up the pace a bit so we can wait for the Kusa squad together." Kakashi and his two charges broke into a silent run through the forest to reach the outlying crevice that signaled the Tenchi bridge's underlying river.

Naruto was crouched behind a rock as he spied the bridge with a keen eye, looking out for threats. While they were technically within Kusa's borders, the forest on their side was still teeming with Fire country flora and fauna, making it so a Kusa shinobi's hiden jutsu would have no effect as long as he remained on their side of the bridge.

"Naruto..seen anything suspicious." The blonde didn't even react to their presence, merely waving them over to the rock with a hand signal.

"Nothing, which is exactly the problem. The Kusa squad should have been here by now." The fact unsettled Kakashi a bit but he was sure there was a reasonable explanation, quite possibly laziness on their Kusa counterpart's end.

"Does..does that mean something happened to them?" Sakura asked out loud, shaking a little.

Kakashi patted her on the head and gave her a smile, much to her ire.

"Don't worry about it Sakura, it just means we get to rest a while until they get here." Naruto looked back as Kakashi sat down and got out his book to read under the shade of a tree.

Sasuke wandered off to a corner of their little area and just sat down on a rock, looking quite bored. Sakura herself just looked around and, not seeing anywhere she would feel comfortable, just plopped down in the grass and looked up at the sky.

Naruto shook his head at their laid back attitude as his instincts told him that it was more than tardiness that held the Kusa squad up. Without Kakashi's permission, he couldn't go off alone and investigate it. Generally this wouldn't be a problem, but even if there was the slightest chance a Kusa patrol caught him unattended that would lead to problems for Konoha. The last thing he needed was some sort of sanction or escort thanks to some silly C-rank mission.

So he chose to begrudgingly wait for when Kakashi realized that there was indeed something wrong and allowed them to go and investigate. He sat down in a meditative stance and began to focus his chakra and take in the chakra around him, allowing him to reach out and 'touch' the places around him and sense the living things there.

As he expanded this area of vision past Tenchi bridge, a battle was just coming to an end between Kusa shinobi and the rebels.

000

_Kusa Forest_

The genin could only watch in horror as their squad leader was cut down by a brute of man with a broadsword larger than their heads. The two other Chunin had already been captured by a flora jutsu they recognized as a hiden jutsu from the village, meaning that it wasn't only bandits in the group but actual rebels their elders had warned them of.

That meant they were not capable of standing against them and forced them into the only option; surrender.

"Ha, damn fool didn't stand a chance against my kenjutsu." The brute patted over the grass ninja looking for important documents while the two Chunin tried wriggle free from the vines.

A rogue Kusa ninja, obvious by their scratched headband, stood over them as they writhed in pain on the forest floor.

"You two should know better, the more you resist the tighter the vines grow. Both of you will be killed soon enough anyway though so it doesn't matter. Hehehe..." He chuckled darkly as the two muffled their protests under the vines covering their mouths, having little strength left.

A few bandits held the two genin down, a girl and a boy. The brute smiled as he found purchase, a mission scroll detailing that the squad was to meet up with a Konoha group with important documents to be returned to Kusa. Documents like those were inaccessible to the rebels as they usually remained locked up tight within the village, a place even they could not raid.

But with it out in the open, it was their chance to steal it. With the genin of Kusa and perhaps a Konoha shinobi as a bargaining chip, they would have a higher standing and would force Kusa to acknowledge them along with the rest of the nations.

"Hey boss, what do you want to do with these two?" The man looked at the two scared genin, their uncontrolled shaking only got worse when they saw the two Chunin cease struggling and the vines slowly withered away; their job done.

"Well we could use some hostages, hell maybe we could use 'em for labor." The bandits quickly tied them up and led them off to their encampment while the leader remained with the rogue ninja.

"Get Kyoko and go to Tenchi bridge, use these uniforms." He prodded one of the dead Chunin with his foot.

"Impersonate the loyalists and get the documents without killing anybody? That seems a little..humane to me." The man chuckled as he knew how twisted this particular ninja was, he enjoyed killing and was not one for underhanded tactics.

"See if you can grab one of the Konoha shinobi too..if we can take one hostage then we can really get somewhere. Thanks to that old bastard Akeru, all foreigners are able to avoid our patrols when they enter. This is the first chance we've had to ambush one. Don't mess it up." The ninja flinched under the brute's glare and nodded, not wanting to get on his bad side.

"Sure thing, I'll head out right away." He gathered up the dead shinobi's clothing and headed off to find his companion.

The leader himself figured it would be best if he went along too, just in case the bad feeling he had came true. He set off to reach the bridge for an early vantage point for the meeting between Konoha and 'Kusa'.

000

Naruto jolted a bit as he felt a large chakra presence approaching the bridge, along with two smaller ones. They were still a ways off, but at their speed it wouldn't be very long until they arrived.

Naruto woke from his trance and saw Kakashi get up and walk over to him as the other two were not paying attention. He knelt down to Naruto's level and handed him a scroll, the same one with the documents they were to hand over to Kusa shinobi. His eye locked with Naruto's and it spoke volumes, the man looked deathly serious compared to his laid back attitude shown to Sakura.

"I'm giving this to you Naruto as I have some business to take care of nearby. I want you to accept the Kusa escort and reach the village as fast as you can then hand this directly to their village leader, _no one else_. Sasuke and Sakura will be in your care until we meet again in the village, are we clear?" Naruto accepted the scroll reluctantly, suspicious of the man's behavior.

"What business could you have that would jeopardize the mission?" Kakashi looked at the bridge with a far off look in his eye and shrugged.

"Consider it long-range scouting, I'm going to investigate the area and make sure the path is clear for you and your escorts. Kusa isn't necessarily the most well patrolled country in the world and there might be a bandit camp or something nearby." Naruto accepted this as fact as he had a similar suspicion, still though the man was going against Kusa's rule for foreigners.

As if reading his mind, Kakashi patted his shoulder in comfort.

"Don't worry. I may not be an assassin, but I know how to get around without being seen. Now good luck." He waved before disappearing in a puff of smoke; his departure brought the others back into focus as they looked at where their sensei had been.

"Where did Kakashi-sensei go?" Sakura said in a slight panic as she watched Naruto get up, pat his robe of dirt, and stow a scroll away beneath his vest.

Sasuke just got up and joined Naruto near his boulder, sensing they would be moving out soon. Sakura soon joined the bandwagon as it seemed Naruto wasn't going to answer her question. As soon as they both were behind him against the boulder, Naruto turned to address them with the news.

"Kakashi said that we would go along with the Kusa patrol back to their village and complete the delivery while we wait for him there. He said he had some scouting to do, to make sure the path to the village would be safe for us. Until he gets back..I'm in charge of the mission." Naruto and Sasuke shared a momentary glare before the Uchiha backed down, a silent battle of wills had led to Naruto's unanimous promotion to squad leader.

"Oh ok..well I'm ready when you two are." Sakura accepted his explanation and was ready to get the mission over with, curious as to what the other village would be like.

"Let's get moving, all this waiting is boring me." Sasuke drawled as Naruto waited a moment then shrugged, it seemed as though they would meet them on their side of the Tenchi.

"Come on, I sensed their approach a while ago." The three made their way across the long bridge and kept to the middle so they wouldn't have to look down at the raging river below.

On the other side, the two rebels in disguise waited somewhat impatiently only to be rewarded with the sight of three kids. While Naruto's clothing was a bit of a stir, they were too young to recognize what an assassin's uniform looked like nor were they well informed on Konoha's military strength.

They began to whisper to each other as they sized them up.

"_The one with the weird clothes is heavily armed and looks to be the leader. The other two are keeping behind him with a level of respect given unconsciously..he could be a problem."_

"_The black haired one, I recognize him as an Uchiha. They are tough warriors and have a kekkei genkai..we should try and capture him."_

"_I dunno, the girl is obviously the easiest. She looks pretty uneasy and out of place, an easy grab."_

"_Then we will go for her in case we can't grab the Uchiha, but the documents come first."_

"_Right."_

They ended their conversation just as soon as the squad walked up. Little did they realize Naruto picked up on their conversation with his advanced hearing and realized just what kind of harm they meant to him and his squad. However, as far as he could tell they were loyal Kusagakure ninja so that would imply the entire village would be hostile.

_'Looks like this mission got a lot more complicated..'_ Naruto silently cursed in his mind as they stopped a few feet away from their Kusa counterparts.

"Welcome to Kusa..honorable guests from Konoha." The woman of the two ninja did a not-so-graceful bow, as if she was putting on a very disliked act.

"You are our escorts I presume? Just you two seems a bit light from what I had figured.." The male frowned but quickly put on a smile as he gestured with his arms to the forest and presumably Kusagakure.

"Well as I'm sure you know Kusagakure isn't a major village like Konoha, we can't afford extensive border patrol units as you can. And because we've been having to escort guests such as yourself for over the past decade, our leader has gotten a bit lax in assigning the job when the manpower can be used elsewhere." Naruto had to admit, the two put on a good show; he had expected them to attack by now.

"Very well, we accept your escort. As our guides here, our fate is in your hands." Naruto's bait worked as the man smirked at the word _fate_.

"Sounds like a plan, the village isn't too far off anyway so it'll be a short trip. We will take the documents for safe keeping and hand it to the village elder upon arrival so you don't waste your time." Naruto remembered Kakashi's words and something didn't add up to him, the ninja seemed intent on taking the package now before they reached the village while if they waited the entire ninja populace could ambush them in the village.

What did that mean?

_'It means that these aren't Kusa ninja..they are bandits..or worse, rogue ninja.'_

Naruto's thinking had led to a slight pause and the man coughed a bit to get him to focus. Naruto nodded and reached into his vest, making his way over to the man.

A rustle in the bushes alerted all five of them to the new presence and Naruto remembered the larger chakra, he had thought it an animal of some kind.

It was no animal though, just a very large man.

The sword he wielded was massive and it was coming down straight on Naruto's head. Sakura screamed as the impact broke the ground beneath into crumbling pieces and sent dust flying over the battlefield. The two rebels had jumped away, surprised by their leader's sudden appearance. Perhaps they hoped it was part of his plan to jump in and have the two groups work together to defeat him, further extending their little farce.

The serious look on the man's face though alerted them that he had only joined in because of immediate danger.

"Dammit Uroko, that kid almost killed you!" The ninja were shocked when he said that and the man sputtered a response as Sakura tried to defend their team-mate.

"Naruto would never hurt an ally ninja! Whoever you are, you're lying!" Sasuke looked the man over and knew the tell tale sign of a bandit; he got into a dangerous stance in preparation for combat.

"Sakura, get ready. This guy isn't a pushover." The pink haired girl took her attention away from the new arrival back at Sasuke and nodded, taking out a kunai for defense.

The brute looked at her and smirked, obviously she didn't know her team-mate well. The kid was practically leaking with killer intent as he was surely anticipating the kill, it was the only thing that tipped him off. He pulled his broadsword out of the ground as the dust settled and his eyes widened when the kid was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn, I missed!" Uroko and Kyoko began to look around for trouble as they knew that the one in the robe saw through their lie.

"Kyoko..cover me. I'm gonna use _that_ jutsu again." She nodded and took out a kunai as the tense standoff came to a quiet stalemate for a moment while the missing member of Team 7 stayed out of sight.

Without a single sound, a figure jumped from a nearby tree and landed on Kyoko's back, forcing her down to the ground and completely covered her from view by a white robe. Naruto retracted his blade from her neck and made to charge the one going for a jutsu when the larger man moved at a speed belying his size to intercept.

Sakura watched in horror as Naruto was smashed into a tree by the larger man and Sasuke was confused why he killed that woman. Sure he wasn't a fan of Kusa either but to kill her..he had to have had a good reason.

"Guh.." Naruto coughed and stabbed into the man's shoulder that had him pinned, smirking as the paralyzing poison made its way through his bloodstream.

It was to his shock when the man didn't even break a sweat and he realized that his size wasn't just strength; somehow he was able to resist the poison. Sasuke charged forward toward the bandit leader, tired of waiting for an opening to attack. Sakura watched him ago and remained in place, unsure of what to do until Naruto got freed.

_'Come on Naruto..you can get him!'_

As the man increased his pressure on the boy in an attempt to make him black out, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The bandit was only disappointed for a second when Sasuke came out of the corner of his eye and he blocked a solid kick with his sword's flat end. Sasuke took out a kunai and began to slash at him, getting in a few cuts but most did nothing but make the man chuckle further infuriating the Uchiha.

As they engaged one another in a short battle of weapons, Uroko just finished gathering his chakra for the jutsu. Vines swept from the ground and charged toward Sasuke who was unaware of them as his whole attention was on the leader.

Sakura noticed them immediately and went to shout for Sasuke to look out only to be pulled down to the ground by her own set of vines. Before she could even raise her weapon to cut through them, her arms were entangled and her mouth and eyes were covered up as she could no longer see or speak. The tangled up girl collapsed to the ground as the vines solidified their grip around her fragile body.

_'One hostage down, another to g-'_

"Oh no you don't!" Naruto charged out of the brush and threw a few kunai from his pack at the man only for vines to form a shield in front of him.

"Haha! If you would have kept your mouth shut you might have gotten me! Or maybe not..hahaha!" Naruto cursed himself as the man was right, he saw Sakura get captured and it made his blood boil.

He charged forward and saw a few vines come out of the ground to attack him. He realized then that this was the infamous Kusagakure jutsu that allowed one to manipulate plants to their own bidding. This rogue ninja was once a member of the Kusagakure ninja corps as he guessed the other one as well.

There was no time to analyze further as the vines approached him. Naruto took out his two curved tantos from his back, gripping them strongly; he sent a surge of electrical chakra through his body and formed it around the weapons.

"I will cut right through you!" Naruto charged forward and sliced through the vines, noticing that the longer they remained in use by the ninja, the bigger they grew.

He sliced through whatever attack came at him but felt like he was making no progress. Sasuke was luckily able to avoid the attack sent for him because of Naruto's outburst when Sakura was attacked. Now he was fending off the wild vines as the leader made his way over to the defenseless girl and, using his broadsword, cut the vines that kept her rooted to the ground. The rest remained on her as restraints as he hauled her over his shoulder and began to make his way over to the tree line as she uselessly struggled.

"Now now little girl, you ain't goin' nowhere." He patted her behind for good measure and received a very loud yet muffled shout from the poor girl.

Naruto howled in rage and made a last ditch charge for the plant puppeteer, finally breaking through the vine wall that he had erected around himself.

"Shit!" Uroko knew he was screwed when the kid had eyes that screamed murder; he had thought he wouldn't fear death with how nonchalant he was about killing but he felt like he was about to piss his pants in terror!

"Boss help!" The man in question looked over his shoulder and sighed, putting the girl down for a moment before charging right at Naruto's flank.

Naruto this time sensed him coming in time to put up his twin swords in defense against his large broadsword; the test of strength as they pushed against one another was a short one unfortunately. The man leaned back and then pushed forward with all his strength, breaking Naruto's guard. He kicked him right in the gut and shattered the boy's rib cage and sent him flying over the abyss of Tenchi river into the rapids.

"You owe me big time ya little asshole." Uroko scratched the back of his head and shrugged in apology as they looked back to find Sasuke gone and Sakura still wriggling for freedom.

"Well we lost the Uchiha brat..but we still got this one." He picked her up as if she was light as a stick with one hand as the other sheathed his sword on his back.

"What do we do boss? The one with the robe had the documents, now that he's gone.." This made Sakura erupt into a frenzy of shaking and screaming, only stopping when the large man put some pressure on her neck with his free hand.

"Well, I guess we can deal with a hostage for now. Who knows, maybe he'll wash up on shore somewhere and we can scavenge what's left." The big guy sighed and walked off back into the forest to their hideout, noticing the sun was going down.

"Once we get back, I want you to gather a patrol and try and find that Uchiha kid. That one with the robe can wait but he's still alive and out here..somewhere." Uroko smirked, glad to get back into the action.

"My pleasure.." The two continued their trek back, losing a shinobi and gaining quite an important bargaining chip to one very wounded shinobi.

000

_Kusa_

_Tenchi River_

_Night_

Naruto awoke to a stinging sensation in his chest and attempted to move, only succeeding in making the sting change to unbridled pain. He tried to scream but no sound came out, only air escaping from his lungs along with a good bit of water.

"_**Dammit boy, I'm trying to heal you. Now just sit still and don't try to speak and you sure as hell don't start asking me questions, I'm not in the mood."**_

_'Kyuubi?..damn you. I thought I kept you from interfering with my body.' _Naruto found himself disappointed in his mental barriers and realized Kyuubi's influence ran deeper than he had expected.

"_**You underestimate me boy, those pitiful walls you tried to put up did nothing to my chakra already flowing through your body. Its thanks to me you are still alive, so feel appreciative."**_

_'The bridge..we were ambushed..Sakura!'_ Naruto again tried to get up but felt a jolt of pain again and fell back with a thud.

"_**I said stop moving! Damn, are you so thick-headed? The vixen was captured but alive, if you want to rescue her useless carcass from that bandit I suggest you take a hint!"**_

Naruto merely let Kyuubi run his course, the pain was considerable but he could feel himself slowly be pieced back together from the bandit's kick. It felt..odd as someone played doctor on your insides while they were still _inside _you.

_'My weapons..I can't feel them in my hands.'_ Naruto's next concern were the two master-crafted tantos gifted to him by the Shimizu, it would be a bad omen to lose them already.

"_**I sense they washed up to shore with you, aren't you lucky you don't have to go look."**_ Kyuubi responded with his sarcastic drawl.

"_**Now rest..its not your time to die yet boy."**_

000

_Kusa_

Sasuke sat around a small campfire, eyes darting back and forth. He had just barely been able to escape when Naruto made the rogue ninja lose concentration over his jutsu. When he saw Naruto get kicked over the edge, he knew he had to retreat to survive; even he had to admit their leader was too strong. The thought had crossed his mind only after escaping to grab Sakura and by then it was too late.

No matter, they wouldn't kill her or else they wouldn't have bothered to restrain her. Naruto might be a bit angered and Kakashi would be annoyed, but Sasuke didn't plan to sit idle for long. As soon as he warmed up a bit, he planned to track down the bandits and destroy their camp, in the process freeing Sakura. It would kill two birds with one stone and get the other two on his team off his back.

_'Just about that time..'_

000

_Kusa_

_Bandit Camp_

The leader sat in on the huge bonfire they had in celebration for their minor yet meaningful victory. The two Kusa genin were being put to work as servers of the meat his bandits had collected while the Konoha girl was being trussed up by Uroko. Whatever the man had in mind for her he did not know, as long as he didn't kill her though it didn't matter to him.

Meeting those rogue ninja in the forest a few years back had at first been pretty troublesome for his gang, but now that he had defeated their old leader and taken over, it seemed things were finally looking up. Soon they could ransom back the kids to their villages for whatever they wanted and if luck would bless them again the documents would remain intact wherever the robed one ended up.

_'That kid..there was something odd about the way he fought..'_ The bandit thought as he ungracefully chomped a bite of venison.

_'Can't put my finger on it, but my guess is that the kid had more than just ninja training. The other two fought nothing like he did and if the circumstances were different..I dunno if I could have beaten him.'_

Noticing Uroko's return, the man waved him over.

"..." He swallowed the food in his mouth before addressing the ninja, smiling at his look of disgust. "What did you do with that girl?" Uroko smirked and pointed up, making him raise an eyebrow before obliging and looking into the tree line.

The pink haired girl was strung out by vines in a crucified bind, her arms were being held out to her sides while the rest of her body was covered in the strong plant rope. Her eyes were still covered along with her mouth, surely saving the bandits any trouble they might have had with her trying to damage their ears.

"I figured she looked better up there as a trophy, whaddya think?" The brute just nodded in agreement, knowing better than to question the ninja's odd tastes in decoration.

"Its fine, now just take a bite to eat before you go looking for that kid. The fire's warm and the food is cooked perfect." Uroko took a seat on a nearby rock, forcefully grabbing a piece of meat from one of the Kusa genin shuffling by.

"Don't mind if I do.." He smirked gleefully as he bit into the first meat he had all night.

000

Sakura could hear the shouts and hollers of madmen down below, the fire both heated her feet as it wafted up and filled her covered vision with edges of yellowish-orange when she tried to look. It didn't matter though of course, nothing mattered anymore. She was captured, to be used as nothing but a bargaining chip to either Kakashi or the entire village of Konoha.

She was a failure as a kunoichi..a tear fell from her eye. Then she remembered what they said about Naruto, how he was dead..she couldn't believe them. Naruto was too strong, too.._cool_ to die to some disgusting brute like that man, and yet..they sounded so confident they'd..they had...

Sakura's muffled sobs ran through the night as more tears fell, disappearing into the fire below. She let out her tears as her crush and all she had trusted in vanished, she was no longer a sheltered girl living a happy life in Konoha.

It was because of her the mission had failed, and it was because of her that Naruto had fallen.

_'Naruto...oh Naruto! Please come back! I'm so..lonely and scared..please don't be dead..please don't be dead.'_

It wasn't long after that the jolly laughter below her erupted into screams as the night became a bloody one, a _very_ bloody one.

000

Dun dun dun..wow, its one in the morning and I have school tomorrow. I just couldn't stop writing while I had the inspiration flowing through me, and I'm glad I could get this done. I hope you all enjoy and leave me nice long reviews about what you thought of the chapter and what you hope will happen next!

Peace!

Review.


	6. The First Assassination

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 6

The First Assassination

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Alright, we come again with a new installment of Assassin. To sum up the mission so far, Team 7 was sent to Kusa to drop important documents off. Kakashi left the squad in Naruto's hands as he went off on his own and unfortunately they were ambushed where Naruto was thrown into a river and Sakura was captured. Sakura has a mental breakdown over being captured and Naruto is healed by Kyuubi, preparing to strike back against the bandit leader before his plans can come to fruition.

In this chapter we will detail the finishing up of the Kusa mission and the sudden start of another, very important quest that will lead both Naruto and Sakura to become even closer. We will also find out just what made Kakashi leave the three alone so suddenly.

Also, just as a warning to everyone, my hard drive was recently wiped of _all_ my documents and pictures. I know, sucks right? That means that I lost all my notes and saved chapters for all my stories so from now on, its going to be off of memory. We will see how this will influence the story later on, even I don't know.

Alright let's get on with it.

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hokage Office_

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the leader of Konohagakure, was sitting at his desk. It had been about a day since he had sent a messenger hawk to Kakashi's squad for immediate redeployment to support Team 8 under Kurenai Yuuhi's request for reinforcements. Apparently it was a dire emergency and he knew that they still needed to push one particular member of Team 7's abilities to their limits to see just how strong he was; that was why he still selected Team 7 when another squad could reach Team 8 in Wave so much quicker.

A knock on his door made him look up and allow them entry.

"Come in." A message runner walked in and handed the Hokage a mission debrief scroll, something only used when a squad could not return to give the report in person.

_'They are basically used to describe the process and outcome of the mission the squad undertook. I wonder how Team 7 did on the Kusa mission..'_

Hiruzen quickly opened up the scroll to read, pouring over Kakashi's notes and slowly became more and more impressed as it went on.

_'..as you ordered Hokage, I left the team in Naruto's hands and observed from afar to test his abilities. While powerful, Naruto's judgment was clouded upon capture of his female team-mate, Sakura Haruno. It seems that assassins really do work best alone and this proves that Naruto is already beginning to integrate into his new social setting rather than have a cold exterior. Whether this should be encouraged or discouraged is of course to your discretion._

_After the battle between rebels and Naruto's squad finished, Sakura was taken to their camp where I set up to observe and rescue her if need be. It soon became apparent that would not be necessary however, as my other student, Sasuke Uchiha, deemed it fit to launch an attack on the encampment._

_He was only lucky that Naruto soon arrived after to save his life..but the Naruto that attacked that camp was nothing like the one on the bridge. I saw it during our training exercise, this Naruto was a cold killer, without any emotion. Not even the sight of a captured Sakura seemed to faze him..this must be the Assassin mindset his father taught him._

_I could only watch as he proceeded to destroy everything in his wake..'_

000

_Kusa Night_

_Bandit Camp_

"Well well well..look what we got here." Sasuke was thrown to the ground by the leader's men after finally being captured.

The fight itself didn't take too long and the men were only momentarily taken by surprise by the Uchiha. The kid was too overconfident and made more of a distraction than any actual damage. For an elite warrior of Konoha, the boy didn't do much to strengthen his reputation in his performance. While the boy's eyes looked up at him in fierce determination, the man could see him quiver in fear.

"What a pitiful sight, are you afraid I will kill you boy?" Sasuke's eyes betrayed emotion for a moment before he growled and attempted to throw himself at the man only to be grabbed by the bandits behind.

"Violent, ain't ya kid?" Uroko appeared at the leader's side and smirked, it looked like he wouldn't have to go searching for him after all.

Sasuke felt vines creep up along his body as the bandit's hands left his shoulders to be replaced with tightening flora. He tried in vain to resist the jutsu but could do nothing as the Kusa jutsu covered him. Uroko looked at his boss for judgment and all he did was indicate up with his finger. The sadistic ninja nodded and made the vines take him into the treetops with the girl, now both were their hostages.

"Looks like tonight just got a lot better for us boys!" The bandits let out a cheer and Uroko couldn't help but think it was times like these letting a non-shinobi lead him around wasn't so bad.

As the camp got back underway with its merrymaking, a lone shinobi stood high in the tree branches watching over the camp. He let a hand wander over his headband that covered one eye as he eyed the bandit leader, there was more to the man than he let on. Observing from afar could only give Kakashi so much but from what he could tell, the bandit had shinobi training.

_'He's captured Sasuke and Sakura and his goons will go out to find Naruto soon. My clone should get to him and recover him first if all goes according to plan. I'll wait until I know he's secure before I make a move on the camp..and I might just have to use my sharingan for this one.'_

Kakashi took out a few kunai and began to set up traps around in the tree tops to give him an advantage for when he would attack. Upon the release of a lever, the kunai traps would launch onto the camp and add chaos to the sudden attack, giving Kakashi the edge he would need to destroy them quickly and efficiently. If it were his choice though, Team 7 wouldn't have gotten into this situation to begin with.

_'But under the Hokage's direct orders, I was forced to leave Naruto and them to fend for themselves, just to observe his strength. It was murder having to watch them go against these bandits and not step in, I almost leaped off the crevice after Naruto when he fell..but I resisted. I doubt he would be very thankful if I saved him and I knew it would take more than that to kill him.'_

Even if Naruto had lost or denied his memory of his former caretaker, Kakashi still had confidence and trusted his student's abilities. It would take a lot more than that to kill Naruto, but he feared that, at least until the end of the mission, the blonde's role was over.

To his surprise, he would find he couldn't be farther from the truth.

000

_Kusa Border_

_Tenchi River Shore_

"_**I'd advise resting a while longer boy. You know you aren't at 100% yet, and you know what I mean by 100%."**_ Kyuubi attempted to talk the boy down as he almost reverently picked the swords up and proceeded to slide them into their leather holsters on his back.

_'I have plenty of strength left to kill them, rescue Sakura, and track down Sasuke. My body will not collapse until I allow it.'_ Kyuubi sighed, the smoke exhaled from his snout meant his own fiery personality couldn't argue to get back into action.

"_**Very well..I anticipate the blood of this battle and wish to bathe in it. I suppose you will be entering that..trance?"**_ Naruto nodded as he did final checks on his equipment to make sure nothing had come loose and was lost to the river.

Satisfied he was fully prepared, Naruto went to the river edge and slowly removed his hood to view his face. He allowed his spiky blonde hair to glisten in the moonlight for a moment before bringing both hands up to shake the water free. For a moment, the peace of the night almost lulled Naruto into a deep slumber; it was so tempting, to just let go of his body's aches and fall to the protective embrace of the rounded stone-ridden shore.

But then he reminded himself that his team-mate, someone he had unfortunately grown attached to, was in danger. It was even his fault and an assassin atoned for their mistakes, even if it meant death. But Naruto would not die tonight, there was only one that would fall that night and the image of the man's face swam in his mind, Naruto's body began to go limp in anticipation.

_'Kyuubi..I am entering the trance..wake me up when he has fallen.'_ Kyuubi huffed in annoyance but gave the boy a mental nod of assent as Naruto's conscious left, allowing only one thing to remain; pure killer intent.

"_**I have to admit, this is one thing that boy's damned father did right. With this..no emotion will get in his way, not even love. If I'm lucky he might just kill the girl too."**_

Naruto's possessed body suddenly jumped into action and pounded across the rocky shore and into the forest, but so silently his footsteps barely left a mark. The assassin practically skipped along the forest floor until he felt the inkling to get to higher ground. He ran up a particularly tall tree's trunk and grabbed a hold of the man sized branches, swinging himself upright.

It was easy to pinpoint the location of the bandit's camp, what with all the light and noise. Hollers and fiery orange embers flooded the surrounding forest and in the dark of night acted like a flare. As he approached, Naruto's head looked up at an even higher altitude to observe another shinobi, one he immediately recognized by the scent as his teacher.

Paying him no further mind, Naruto leaped onto another tree's branch and tiptoed to its edge and balanced himself perfectly like a hawk on the edge. This gave him a perfect view of the camp, made up of a series of small tents around a large bonfire with a single hut making up the head of the camp where the bandit leader sat watching his men.

Target in sight, Naruto's assassin training kicked into high gear as he planned his initial attack, assassination, and escape from the camp. If one could watch his lifeless blue eyes, they could see them dart back and forth at unimaginable speeds observing every little factor the camp had to offer in his plan.

Naruto reached into his ninja pack attached to his waist and found what he wanted, a kunai with a small plastic ball attached to it by string. He then grabbed another, this one with an explosive tag, and wielded both in either hand. The two kunai were brought up to his face in preparation to throw before he launched them at speeds that prevented them from being seen let alone caught.

Both went off instantaneously and with the desired result.

The explosive kunai dug itself into the ground where the highest number of bandits sat, around five of the seven the camp held. Before anyone could even turn their heads to look at it, the other kunai's cargo exploded into a flash of light, blinding all within the camp.

Naruto jumped from his perch just as the explosive tag went off, filling the night with screams of agony and surprise. He fell in perfect form and took out one of his knives as he fell to the earth at alarming speeds where the final two bandits stood trying in vain to see. Before they could acknowledge what had happened, Naruto fell upon them and killed them instantly, both with blades to their necks.

Naruto took the bloody knife out and threw it straight through the bonfire to the other side where Uroko and the bandit leader attempted as well to get the light out of their eyes. The knife imbedded itself in the rogue ninja's shoulder who immediately grabbed a hold of it in painful shock.

"AHHH! MY AR-" Before he could even utter another syllable, the poison ran through his bloodstream and attacked his heart, shutting it down permanently.

A quick death, one the twisted shinobi did not deserve. But it was not an assassin's duty to get personally involved in a kill, especially that of which was not the main target. To let emotions get involved would cloud their judgment in whom to allow to live to balance the world, instead killing those who they wished to.

With Uroko dead, there lay only his target. Naruto made his way around the fire in a slow, methodical fashion as the panicking bandit brute wrestled with himself, attempting to escape the assassin he knew was there but could not see.

"Uroko! This isn't funny dammit, I can't se-" He quickly had the air knocked out of his lungs when Naruto's iron fist went straight into his abdomen, making his body react by closing up.

Without giving any further mercy, the blonde sent an uppercut right into his jaw which broke immediately upon impact. For all his upper body muscle, even the bandit could not hope to stave off an assassin fully versed in hand to hand combat while blind.

"Ugh!" With a bone crunching kick, Naruto sent him sliding backward into a tree and made a large crack as it fell in on itself.

The assassin walked slowly to his target, clinching his left fist to reveal his hidden wrist blade which seemed to be almost hungering for blood. With his sight slowly coming back but not yet full, the bandit painfully opened his eyes to see a figure coming toward him in the dead of the night. He realized they were far from the camp now as the red and orange of the fire was far off behind the man or _beast_ coming toward him now.

"NO! Stay back you beast!" He reached for his broadsword and drew it from his tattered sheathe, holding it in front of him as if he was ready for a sword fight.

Naruto, if he was not in a trance would surely smirk and laugh at his pitiful attempt to defend himself. But this was not Naruto, not the full one, this was an assassin on autopilot with deadly efficiency. There would be no playing with the target, this time he would die in one stroke.

To get enough space for him to heft the blade above his head, the brute took a few steps forward and realized the figure was close enough to kill with a single sweep of his blade.

"Die monster!" The entirety of the blade was brought down right onto Naruto just as he had done at the bridge when he first revealed himself; that time he could afford to miss though, this time he knew he was in a corner and this one attack was his last chance of survival.

He felt it hit but was shocked when he felt pressure push the sword back up. As his vision finally cleared, he could see the assassin he thought for sure he had killed standing there, blocking his blade with his own dagger without even breaking so much as a sweat. Naruto had parried the attack with his hidden blade, using an untapped strength that his normal conscious could only use willingly through conditioning it had yet to go through.

Without even a hint of faltering under the larger man's power, Naruto batted away the sword's guard and launched himself at the defenseless man. Before he could even scream or shout in anger, Naruto's blade sunk itself deep into his neck and the man's body teetered before falling limp and dropping to the ground, all the while with Naruto riding it to the ground with his blade still deep inside his flesh.

"_Your sins have been atoned by this vessel's blade, go onto the next life in peace." _

Because of the nature of the wound, the bandit leader could not respond but allowed himself to stop struggling as Naruto closed his eyes for the last time.

As with Naruto's request, Kyuubi sent his chakra coursing through the boy's body for a moment to wake him from self-induced slumber. His conscious came flying back into control over his body and the stimulation was almost too great, forcing the boy to one knee. Naruto brought a hand up to his forehead to try and ease the pain from the withdrawal of his subconscious.

_'I've killed him..'_ He thought absently as he saw the large man on the ground, dead.

Naruto reached into his robe and found what he wanted, a single white feather. He dabbed it in the wound of still free flowing blood and brought it to his face for inspection; a reminder of sorts of his first kill.

_'One of many to come..'_ He took out a blank scroll and sealed it within for safekeeping so when he returned to the compound, he could store it in a more proper place of decoration.

"_**I sense someone approaching..I believe it is your teacher."**_ Naruto checked his scent and realized Kyuubi was right, his teacher was approaching him from above.

Then again, since everyone else in the area was dead it wasn't very likely it could be anyone other than him. Naruto looked up and saw with his eyes that Kakashi had already rescued the four genin who stood with him on the branch, looking down at Naruto with quiet awe considering the dead man at his feet.

Naruto only looked back at them with a determined, staunch stare of acknowledged victory; no smirk, no confident remark, just a stalwart stance that resembled that of a matured Master Assassin making yet another kill.

_'He..he killed him. He did what I could not..damn you Naruto. You are more powerful than I could even imagine.'_ Sasuke's awe turned to inner hatred and, even if he would not admit it, envy of the assassin's training and skills.

Sakura only looked on at her crush with a new found respect and admiration that could only come from viewing him in all his glory on a real mission, not some training exercise. The boy..no, that word did not come close to describing the mature assassin that stood below her on the forest floor.

That man made her feelings go haywire just by the look he was giving her now and she now realized that this was far more than anything she felt for Sasuke, these feelings were no farce.

Sakura desired to stand beside him on that forest floor, to be a fitting partner for him both physically and emotionally. She wished to fight alongside him, to live with him, to just be in his presence. The thought almost came across her mind she was too young to think such deep thoughts but in the world of shinobi, life was a fleeting and precious thing.

Her life could end the next day, and she did not want it to happen while Namikaze Naruto was not hers. That was when Sakura made herself a promise, that from that day onward she would do whatever it took to be close to Naruto and be strong enough to fight with him.

_'I won't get you hurt anymore Naruto-kun..next time I will protect you!'_

"Naruto.." The blonde eyed Kakashi as the man addressed him from the tree branch, his arms folded and that charcoal black eye staring into his own. "..Nice job. Let's deliver that document together now, shall we?"

He made no attempt to respond, only to to stand up to his full height and disappear in a blur. In just a moment he stood there in their midst, making them all quickly back away in surprise. Kakashi and Sakura were the only ones who did not move to accommodate him as they knew it was not necessary and trusted him.

It was almost as if the Kusa genin thought he would try to kill them next but their fears were slowly allayed as the boy handed over the documents to Kakashi and was joined quickly by Sakura whom he shared a quick smile with which she readily returned.

"Geez..all this trouble over this little bit of parchment." Kakashi muttered to himself, not receiving a response as all four of the children in front of him did not want to think about the day's events.

The Kusa genin had seen their elder shinobi struck down so easily and were humiliated into servicing the brutes at their camp. Sakura found herself reflecting on her capture and her inability to help her team defeat the shinobi at the bridge. The Uchiha was still embarrassed the Namikaze performed better than he did against an opponent which was arguably the best challenge he had been presented in his life.

"Well..let's go." Kakashi led them through the forest on a night run that brought them right to the edge of Kusa and into the arms of a search party made of Kusa's best.

These Jounin and Chunin subordinates were the fabled users of the same flora jutsu the genin had had so much trouble fighting earlier that day. The village leader would not spare any amount of manpower to recover his and Konoha's people and that was why he authorized sending their best, as it turned out it was an unnecessary but welcome show of power as the Konoha shinobi were able to rest easy for the rest of the journey.

Kakashi made sure his students were well taken care of in the village's local inn and in bed before he went to see the village leader about the documents. The Kusa shinobi, although saddened by the loss of three Chunin, were at least able to take solace that the genin were saved and returned them safely to their families.

Naruto immediately collapsed into his futon supplied by the inn, not even bothering to strip himself of his clothing or take off the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep, not a usual reaction to the prospect of sleeping but the battle had taken too much out of him.

Sakura watched him fall into slumber as she was still fixing her own bedding. She smiled and dreamily sighed at how cute he looked with his robe and hood still on, just sleeping so peacefully. How he looked almost made her want to giggle but she thought better of it, knowing it would be disrespectful to him. A grumble made her turn around to see Sasuke roll away from her in his bed and she could only guess he thought it disgusting the look she had given Naruto.

_'Whatever..be jealous if you want Sasuke but Naruto saved both of us. I know you aren't jealous that I like him now, seeing as how you never cared in the first place.'_ Perhaps if she had just realized this, Sakura would be saddened at admitting the fact he had never liked her; the girl had realized for a while now that he never really did feel for her so she was able to brush past the fact without so much as a grimace.

Sakura had her bed fixed and ready to go but something kept her from getting in and falling into sweet slumber as her crush did, in fact she felt that it was indeed he who was keeping her awake. It was just how he fell asleep that made Sakura uncomfortable, she didn't think it was right that he at least didn't take off his hood or get himself under the covers.

Even with his robes on, he could still catch a cold.

Making up her mind, Sakura crawled over to him and just watched him for a moment. Her hands slowly went for the hood and she realized this would be the first time she would _truly_ get to see what he looked like. The time that she was in the river during their training did not really count to her as his hood was still on, only allowing her to see his shaded face.

The thought of it only excited her more and made her fingers tremble in anxiety, so much so Sakura feared that he would wake only by the vibrations her trembling body was sending through the floor. Before her fingers could even lace around edges of the fabric, a gloved hand darted out and gripped her wrist tightly as another sent a blade right for her throat.

Sakura froze as Naruto's body reacted on reflex as he held her from his laying position in what was assuredly a lethal move should she have been deemed hostile. Naruto immediately recognized her and saw the fear in her eyes, quickly letting her go and recovering his senses to his surroundings.

_'Safe, in bed at some inn..not around any enemies. It was just Sakura.'_ Naruto reassured himself it was alright to relax and the Haruno saw as his shoulders sagged in what could only be calm.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto..I just saw you laying there with your hood still on and thought you would be uncomfortable. I didn't..mean to disturb you or anything." Sakura was caught and felt ashamed now reviewing her actions, what could she expect from a trained assassin's reaction?

"It's fine Sakura, if anything I should apologize for how I reacted. Its just I can't really differentiate who's around me when I'm asleep so that's how I always react." Sakura nodded in understanding but locked on to his hands as they came up to his hood that covered his identity. "..But I must thank you for reminding me, amongst those I trust I suppose I can take off my hood."

Naruto took off his hood to reveal his spiky blonde hair, tanned skin, and as Sakura had thought, whiskers that were on either cheek. His appearance was breathtaking and it took all her willpower not to make any _too_ outstanding reactions other than a blush and more shaking. Naruto at first was confused but then realized she was taking in his actual appearance and found she liked what she saw; for some reason he smiled at that and felt happy.

"So.._handsome._" Sakura covered her mouth as soon as she uttered the word but soon realized Naruto had heard it with his hearing when he chuckled.

"Well thank you..no one has really been around me without my hood or robe on so knowing I don't look bad is a good thing I guess." Sakura was amazed at how such a cold, collected killer could speak with such polite warmth but it only made her enjoy his company more as it did intrigue her.

"Naruto..may I sleep near you?" It was an odd request by Sakura, but was done for two reasons; one was obvious as she wanted to sleep near her crush and this was a great opportunity, the other was so she could talk to him without disturbing Sasuke who would surely hear them speak if she lay in her bed which sat between them.

"Um.." Naruto had relied on his calm attitude to get him through the conversation so far but he was at a loss now that a girl was asking such a personal request.

"Sure." He decided to go with his gut and what _he_ desired which was for the girl to stay close.

"_**I still say she is a useless vixen who has nothing to offer you boy..but I suppose you humans are fickle when it comes to mates."**_ Naruto ignored the fox, silently hoping it would get a muzzle or failing that fall asleep.

"T-thank you.." She hadn't expected him to say yes so when he did she struggled to get herself moving and quickly grabbed her futon and moved it so they would be mere inches from one another.

Naruto just watched her do this work, not finding it in himself to take his eyes away. The girl mesmerized his mind in so many ways that should have been foreign or ignored to him through the training he experienced. It seemed even his father could not prepare him for a woman's influence as this was something he could not even comprehend let alone fight against. That is if he wanted to resist which was the last thing on his mind as the girl lay down inches from him and stared at him with the most innocent face.

"I never got to properly thank you for saving me." Sakura said as she settled under her blanket and met Naruto's uncovered eyes, barely able to make her voice go above a whisper.

Naruto's face dipped with a frown and she realized that he did not see it the same as she did.

"I did not save you, Kakashi did. If anything I am the one who got you captured in the first place..if I had only stayed focused, I could have-" Naruto caught himself from second guessing his actions; what was done was done and he could do nothing to change it.

"I didn't see it that way.." Sakura mumbled in disagreement, nervously playing with her hair. "You couldn't have stopped them from getting me, not with all that chaos. You came to the camp and defeated them all, if it wasn't for you Sasuke and I..we may not have made it back to Konoha alive. We..I owe you my life." Naruto just shook his head and made to caress her cheek on instinct but reared back at the last second, realizing what he was about to do.

"Its fine..I'm your team-mate and I was the squad leader, it was my duty to defeat them." Sakura could see it in his eyes that the answer was only half true while the rest was not said.

"Naruto..I don't want to be weak like that again. I don't want you to get hurt because of me!" Naruto was taken by surprise as the girl got even closer to him and raised her voice in distress.

It was obvious that the thought of him getting hurt because of her was not something that settled well on her conscious. He wanted to assure her he was bound to get hurt either way but it seemed she was not fishing for reassurance but something else entirely.

"I know I don't have any right to ask and I know I was placed on this team to learn from Kakashi but.." Sakura stifled a sob as she spoke too quickly to cover her tears that began to fall. "I don't think I can learn from anyone but you, I want you to..to teach me like you learned! Please Naruto, I don't want to be weak anymore!" Naruto's blue eyes widened at her request, she wanted _him_ to be her teacher?

Sakura knew she wasn't a Namikaze and what she was asking was surely breaking every secrecy rule the assassins had set up, but there was nothing that mattered to her more now than being his equal. To be even closer to him, Sakura was willing to learn the arts of assassination and be just like him, even if it meant she would have to go through training the likes of which she never would have thought possible before.

"Sakura..I couldn't..I mean I'm just a genin, a novice assassin..I'm not qualified to teach-" Her tears and sobs seemed to become more pronounced and he felt himself losing resistance.

"P-please Naruto! Kakashi..h-he told me I was a disgrace to kunoichi, I don't think..I don't think he would even try to train me right. Please..please.." Naruto couldn't believe their teacher would say that and it only served to make his blood boil.

"_**Hmph..well if you are the one training her perhaps she won't be such a useless vixen."**_ Kyuubi's comment, while drenched in his usual sarcasm, made Naruto feel a bit of pride from the beast's compliment.

"Sakura..do you really know what you're asking? I would teach you to become an assassin, a killer. You are still pure, an angel in the light while I am an agent of darkness." Sakura stifled her sobs and wiped away her tears, bringing her mouth right up to his ear.

"Then bring me into the darkness..I will do anything to stand with you." Those words said with such determination, such emotion, made it clear to Naruto that even if he wished to he could not deny her heartfelt request.

Naruto grabbed her hand with his own, intertwined their fingers, and made his forehead touch hers. Sakura could only quiver in excitement as he spoke such meaningful words and granted her wish.

"Fine then Sakura Haruno, from today onward I will take you on as my apprentice assassin. I promise I will teach everything I can to make you a true follower of The Code and will from now on never leave your side should you need me." That was as close to a start of relationship Sakura could translate and kissed Naruto on the cheek who only smiled and blushed.

"Thank you..Naruto." And with that, the two genin fell asleep, holding hands and practically in the same bed with two big smiles on their faces.

000

_Kusagakure_

_Next Morning_

_Administration Building_

"I brought your squad here to thank you..and apologize for the attack made on your lives." Akeru Take bowed to the gathered Konoha shinobi who by now were well rested and ready to go home.

"Uh yes..thank you." Kakashi didn't know how to react so he just scratched his head and bowed his head a bit, a reaction that made Sakura roll her eyes.

Kakashi had already filled the elder in on what exactly happened when he left his genin at the inn. It was the leader's choice to meet his students now, however, Kakashi wasn't sure what he hoped to gain by doing so. Sure Naruto was unique because of his heritage and training but still, he was sure the village leader had better things to do.

"We had hoped to kill the rebels sooner to prevent something like this from happening, but we could never track them all down. It seems as though you finished the last of them off..how many ninja did you say there were?" An aged Kusa Jonin spoke up and Kakashi struggled to answer his question.

"Well..I definitely saw the one at the camp, his name was Uroko." Other than a grimace at the name, there was no response.

"And another, her name was Kyoko. We met her at the bridge." Naruto spoke up with his usual quiet, calm voice that led Akeru's eyes to fall on him.

"Ah, the assassin speaks. It is a pleasure to meet one of the Namikaze.." Akeru walked up to Naruto and, while he stood almost a foot taller than him, bowed in respect.

"Namikaze-dono, I am honored you have graced our village with your presence and thank you for your personal involvement in resolving this matter with the rebels. Its my understanding you killed them off along with the bandits they were working with?" The Kusa Jonin scoffed at the thought of just some kid killing Uroko and Kyoko along with the bandits.

"Ha! Don't let that boy take credit, its obvious this Konoha Jonin did all the-" A glare sent by Akeru quieted him down immediately and again the man bowed to the annoyed Namikaze.

"My apologies Namikaze-dono, since we lost our own assassin guild during the war many have forgotten the _respect_ we pay to the world's protectors." Naruto held up a hand in understanding and the village leader saw the boy was modest, a good trait to have being an assassin and one he respected.

"No apologies necessary, times have changed since assassins were the dominant force in the world. I'm just trying to make sure the Namikaze guild is not forgotten." Akeru smiled and returned to his desk that they were standing in front of.

"Oh you can be sure your tale will not be forgotten any time soon here in Kusa, you almost singlehandedly defeated our most dreaded enemies for the past decade and for that we are in your debt. Should you ever need anything while you are in Kusa, please feel free to visit as a welcome friend. The same of course goes to the rest of your squad."

_'Not that it matters, an assassin is known to have certain liberties ninja do not. They can leave villages whenever they want on 'clan business' or they just don't live in the village at all. Its not technically a rule villages must follow but its done out of respect for what assassins have done over the centuries.'_

"I have already given your squad leader the payment for your mission and again you have my thanks. Please feel free to stay in Kusa for as long as you wish until you return to Konoha." Kakashi and the others looked at one another and, while glad they could have a vacation, would rather be home instead.

"Uhm..thank you Kusa-dono, but we should really be getting back as soon as we can. This mission has been very draining on us.." The man nodded in understanding and indicated they could leave as they wished.

Naruto turned around to leave when the door opened to reveal a Kusa Jonin leading his squad in, two boys and a girl. His breath caught as he took in the sight of the girl; bright and flowing red hair that seemed jagged and wild on one side while the other it looked perfectly straight and sharp. Her slim glasses reflected her vivid red eyes that seemed to be taking him in as well.

_'Beautiful..just like when I saw Sakura the first time. I..don't know what it is about them but they take my breath away.'_

Karin immediately recognized those robes and almost gasped, but she held it in as she took in his physical appearance. He looked no older than she was, perhaps fourteen years old; his actual body belied that however as he was built like a young man who had been through so much. The chakra he radiated was so warm and as red as her hair, it had such an effect on the sensitive sensor she blushed from pleasure.

Before she could be taken away by his face, an irate Sakura stood by Naruto and grabbed his hand.

"Ahem! Come along Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke have already left." Naruto allowed himself to be pulled away but not before accidentally mouthing a few choice words that left Karin with a lasting impression.

"_-autiful red hair."_

The girl was easily able to fill in the first word and blushed on purpose that time, only to wake up when her team-mates began to poke fun at her. She gave them her usual evil glare and threat to punch them if they didn't shut up, it worked like a charm as it always did. Gen gave his report that the entire sector they were given was combed for seedlings and successfully cleared.

The village leader gave them his usual thanks and had Gen stay after, no doubt of which to talk about her, Karin thought. Her squad dismissed, Karin already knew what they were talking about with her enhanced hearing. The old fools still seemed intent on having her become the village's next top ninja, even though she came into their care, quite suspiciously if she may add, only about a year ago.

_'Orochimaru-sama may think this place is suitable for a takeover, but I believe a mere hideout or two in the forests surrounding Kusa will be enough. Our main base should of course remain in Oto.'_

Karin's job as Orochimaru's spy in Kusa was almost complete and, using her skills taught to her long ago, would disappear without a trace when her job was done. Following Orochimaru's will wasn't the best life, but as she traveled around and saw how others lived, she realized there was such a thing as worse off. And, she thought with a naughty smirk, she got to see rare things in front of her such as a handsome young assassin.

If they crossed paths again when they were older, Karin wouldn't mind having some fun with the Namikaze heir.

000

_Kusagakure_

_Gate_

Kakashi looked to the sky at the screech of a hawk, it seemed they had a message from the Hokage. A few people stopped on their daily routes to observe the foreign shinobi at their gate and a genin or two would poke their heads up from whatever food stall they were dining in to catch a glimpse. Kakashi held out his arm and the animal immediately came to him and landed perfectly allowing the man to take the message from its pouch attached to its leg.

Naruto and Sakura watched as he skimmed the short message, nodding to himself. Sasuke just leaned against the gate, tapping his foot impatiently as he wanted to get a move on. Their teacher took out a small scroll and placed it back in the hawk's carrying case to send back to Konoha, giving his team a smile.

"Seems like it was a good idea to write that report before we got back, because it seems like we won't be returning to Konoha anytime soon." Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, what did he mean they weren't going back?

"What do you mean sensei? Our job here is done right?" The man nodded but pointed at the message he still held in his hand and sweat dropped.

"Yeah..but it seems like Hokage-sama has emergency orders for us to redeploy to Wave to support one of our squads there. Looks like they got into a bit more trouble than they can handle on their own." Sasuke walked over to him and wanted to know more.

"What squad?" Kakashi looked back at the note.

"Team 8, Kurenai's squad. Apparently some rogue ninja was hired to kill the man they were supposed to escort and she can't handle him alone. They somehow avoided detection and are now in hiding, but they want our help for when they have to fight him." Naruto and Sasuke didn't have much reaction but both were somewhat anxious of the coming battle as a better test of strength.

Sakura on the other hand was not looking forward to their change in plans as she hoped to begin training with Naruto once they went back to Konoha. It seemed the training, along with any chance to be with him alone, had slipped from Sakura's delicate fingers for a long while.

"Unfortunately we won't get much of a chance to resupply since Wave is pretty far off and we need to get there soon to render assistance. We will have to leave now and keep stops to a minimum, so I hope you are ready for a run." Naruto saw Sakura looked very sad and gave her shoulder a firm, reassuring grip to get her attention.

"Don't worry Sakura, we can begin your training in Wave with some simple chakra exercises. I can even start teaching you some of my clan's history along the way." This brightened the pink haired girl's mood and Kakashi wondered what just happened, it seemed Naruto was going to help Sakura out.

_'That's a surprising turn of events, I figured he would still be the loner-type.'_

"Okay!" Sakura yelled enthusiastically and Kakashi just shrugged.

"Let's get going, I'm tired of standing here." Sasuke grunted in annoyance, the squad was getting on his nerves.

Kakashi couldn't agree more and waved for them to follow as squad 7 left Kusagakure behind for a new country, one that desperately needed someone with Naruto's abilities to free them. But would they make it in time to save everyone?

000

_Wave_

_Tazuna's House_

"Thank god we made it! I thought that bastard was gonna kill me!" Tazuna and co. practically burst through his front door as if the towering swordsman was still on their trail.

Luckily for them, Kurenai was a master of deception. With an elaborate genjutsu and the careful use of traps, they were able to keep Zabuza occupied long enough to escape the forest and get to Tazuna's home on the pier. How long they could remain hidden, however, was not something she had thought out yet.

_'Let's just hope the reinforcements get here soon..and that they are strong enough to fight a Jonin-level rogue ninja.'_

"Kurenai-sensei, how the hell are we supposed to beat that guy! I mean it was like none of our attacks did anything to him _or_ his clones!" Kiba yelled in frustration and punched the wall, trying to vent his anger at how inadequate he saw his own abilities.

"Kiba, you can't allow the result of the battle to influence your mind. Why? Because we were clearly outmatched, that ninja was a Jonin of Kirigakure and a member of their elite swordsmen group. We clearly had no chance of success." Kurenai leaned against the wall and crossed her arms in thought; although she hated to admit it, Shino's tactical analysis was as frightening as it was true.

"I don't need to hear it bug boy! While you and your flyin' friends were buzzin' around, Akamaru and I were getting' the shit kicked out of us by his water clone! Why I oughta-" Kurenai was just about to tell him to stand down when a blue haired woman came out from the kitchen to see what the ruckus was.

"Hey, quiet down! I respect you for bringing my father home safely, but that does not give you the right to just yell inside our home!" Kiba was taken aback and hesitantly mumbled an apology; Hinata seemed thankful the fight was short lived as the nervous girl was practically shaking in fear.

"Shino is right Kiba, we can't change our enemy's skill level nor our own. That is why I requested backup and when they arrive, we will defeat Zabuza and hopefully bring some peace to this poor nation." The Inuzuka looked at his teacher and nodded in understanding as his pup whined in submission.

"Now please, come inside and rest. You have come a long way and dinner is almost ready." Tsunami invited them inside their home and made sure to feed the ninja right, trying her best to avoid the thought it could be their last meal.

Considering how dangerous the country was to normal citizens, who knew how many would be willing to target shinobi. Whatever reinforcements the woman captain spoke of, Tsunami hoped they would be enough to help them change Wave. If not, she shuddered at the thought of even more blood on Gato and Wave's hands there would be.

_'Please Konoha..rescue us.'_

000

And done. Glad I got this written and out to you all at a reasonable hour, seeing as how I have to write some silly farewell speech for English since this is my senior year and all. I hope you enjoyed the turn of events and hopefully you will bear with me as we continue to get the ball rolling on these stories of mine.

Review!

Peace.


	7. Assassins Clash!

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 7

Assassins Clash!

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Alright, we come again with a new installment of Assassin, what is coming to be what may be an even more well developed story than UCR. I am really excited to continue my story with this latest chapter where Team 7 gets sent to Wave to backup Squad 8 against Zabuza Momochi.

We all know Gato is evil, but what will Naruto think when he arrives in a land where the weak are oppressed? And what of Sakura's training? How will she fare learning to become an assassin?

I guess we will have to see how the story develops, check out the new chapter and leave a review!

_If anyone is a **fan of red heads** and **loves to read stories** here in the **Naruto category**, please** message me** and **become a staff member of my community**. We stockpile all stories with Naruto romancing a Naruto red head, so try and help us out!_

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Gato's Estate_

"So, is it done?"

"No..they got away. Their Jounin leader was quite skilled with genjutsu, enough to distract me long enough to make a break for it." Gato sighed, leaning forward in his chair as he spoke with Zabuza Momochi, rogue Jounin of Kirigakure.

This was not supposed to happen, Tazuna the Bridge Builder could not live this long. He gave the people hope that Gato thought lost long ago when he took over the land. The economic stranglehold he had over the land was profitable, so profitable it allowed him to afford a small army of cutthroats, his own private estate right in the middle of town, and gave him the currency to hire a shinobi feared by all; this incompetence shown by Zabuza made him think his money was not being well spent.

"Well, I hope you plan on rectifying the problem. I'm paying you good money to have that man killed and I don't care how it gets done..so remember that next time you come close to-" Gato shut up when Zabuza unsheathed his sword and lowered it to where with just a flick of his wrist, the man's head would fall to the ground.

Before his guards could even react, a masked person had arrived by Zabuza's side with needles in their hand, ready to use against them should they intervene. Gato looked at the sword and shivered; he attempted to redeem himself with an angry glare sent at the rogue ninja pair.

"Hey, what the hell are you-" Zabuza edged his sword closer to his neck; Gato could now feel the cold steel of the blade press against him.

"You listen to me Gato, I have been paid to this job and I'll do it..but you will not talk down to a business partner or a shinobi of my stature. A minor setback was all this was, one that will be rectified before the bridge is complete." He took his sword back and placed it back in its rightful place, hiding a smirk under his bandaged face.

"The next time we speak, Tazuna the Bridge Builder will be dead. Come Haku." The two ninja disappeared from Gato's office, leaving him and his two samurai guards flustered.

"...Damn you Zabuza. Too much trouble for what you're worth."

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Tazuna's House_

Kurenai and the rest of Team 8 were resting in the family room of Tazuna's home. It had been two days since they last sent the request for reinforcements and two days since they last faced the dangerous rogue ninja, Zabuza Momochi. While the outcome of the battle left the genin's morale low, Kurenai knew that their only chance of surviving would be by remaining in hiding.

With their current strength, they would be destroyed by Zabuza. Now that the Jounin had analyzed her abilities, he would surely deploy a countermeasure against her genjutsu, rendering her trump card useless. While her squad was made of three clan heirs with their own unique jutsu, they were too inexperienced to even pose a challenge to the sword wielder.

_'Yes..I made the right choice. Whenever they get here, we can allow Tazuna to continue his work on the bridge in a safe manner.'_

Kurenai heard the door slide open and Tazuna entered and sat down, his face looked riddled with guilt. The genin looked at him and then to her, wondering what the problem was. It seemed as though the man had something to get off his chest as he sat down on a cushion, across the table from Kurenai.

"I..I came to apologize, Kurenai-san. I had no idea that such a dangerous shinobi was hired by Gato..if I had I would've..I would've done something." Kurenai saw sincerity in his features and nodded.

"It isn't your fault Tazuna-san, even we had no idea the rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi was operating out of Wave. If we did, that knowledge would have been passed to Kiri hunters." The old man looked unconvinced in her forgiveness but just bowed his head in shame and nodded.

"I hope that you can forgive my lie of the mission's difficulty as well..I did not wish for any harm to come to any of you. Its just..we are desperate here in Wave, Gato has had us under his rule for so long, we have run out of options. You and your squad are truly our last chance." Kiba smirked and stood up, pumping his fist into the air.

"Don't worry old man! As soon as our pals from Konoha get here, we'll take that Zabuza clown down and save this country! You can count on it." He gave Tazuna the thumbs up and, betraying his defeatist attitude, he returned the gesture.

"Good, 'cause you still have to redeem yourself for getting your butt kicked the last time kid!" Tazuna had a hearty laugh at Kiba's expense, making the boy go from confident to pouting.

"Next time Kiba, we will work together to take him down." Shino said from his place in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall.

Kiba looked at the Aburame, surprised by his willingness to cooperate; he was even mor surprised when Hinata stood up and had a confident look on her face too.

"Yes Kiba-kun, next time we will take him down together!" Kiba scratched his head and smiled.

"Well alright! Squad 8 is back in business." Kurenai and Tazuna smiled at their courage, it was a welcome sight to their moping the previous day.

"Tou-san!" Tazuna turned around to see Tsunami standing in the doorway, her arms crossed in annoyance.

"Hai?" He said sheepishly, showing his fear of his daughter's anger.

"Shouldn't you be working on the bridge? Your workers will not do anything if you are not there to help give them orders..and then we can never be free from Gato!" Tazuna hit himself in the head, where was his mind at? Of course he had to get moving to the bridge and help out.

"Tazuna-san." Kurenai stopped him just as he was getting up, her voice took a warning tone. "I cannot guarantee your safety when you leave this home. Our best weapon against Zabuza is secrecy and with it we can protect you, I cannot fight him for you though should he try and kill you on the bridge." Tsunami's eyes went wide, she had forgotten her father was in such danger but Tazuna's serious look made her confused.

"No matter if I die or not, this bridge..is all we have left Kurenai-san. I will not shy away from this threat because if I do, I'll just be doing what Wave has been doing for these last few years. I don't plan on being a martyr like my son was..but that bridge needs me and I'm going, whether you follow me or not." The genin were touched by his story and Kurenai's frown slowly formed into a reluctant smile.

"Well, I suppose there is no convincing you otherwise.." Tazuna started to smile as she stood up, waving over her shoulder to the rest of the team. "Let's get going, our job is to protect him and not sit around all day." They quickly agreed and followed their sensei and Tazuna outside and onto the pier where his home sat.

Tsunami watched as they left, waving goodbye and whispering good luck.

Inari watched from his room, a shadowed look fell over his face as he watched his grandfather leave. It was just like the look his father gave him when he was to be put to death, a confident smirk to the end. Why couldn't they just hide away from Gato? Leave him to have Wave as long as they could stay together?

_'Grandfather..don't let those Konoha-nin give you false hope. You'll just die like father..'_

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Shoreline_

Kakashi eased the small boat onto the sandy shore, careful not to damage it or reveal their presence. On the other side of the channel there had been a small fishing village that was kind enough to offer them a boat to cross on, they only asked it be left on shore so they could pick it up later. Kakashi happily obliged and signaled for his team to get onto shore and was thankful for Wave's natural mist that offered them cover.

"Mist? Is this common for Wave sensei?" Sakura asked as she followed Naruto and Sasuke off the boat and onto shore, waving her arm through the white clouds in quiet amusement.

Kakashi looked at her and almost wanted to poke fun at her, but decided against it.

"Yes Sakura, the moist air coming in from the sea gets cold and becomes visible as mist. Its perfect for us since we don't know where the enemy could be here on the island." Sakura nodded and stayed close to Naruto as he observed the landscape, it seemed the island was dominated by forest with plenty of bodies of water around and inside.

_'A tricky area to fight in..but perfect for an assassin. I wonder what the culture of this land is like though..I don't remember anything of it from what I read.'_

"Can we get moving? I want to find these guys and get this mission over with.." Sasuke's annoyed voice came back to Kakashi as he finished tying down the boat and the Jounin sighed.

"Alright alright, cool down Sasuke. The enemy isn't going anywhere as long as the man Squad 8 is protecting is still alive, so our first priority is to find them. We will head into the main town that should be a few miles off from the bridge we saw coming in." The genin agreed and followed Kakashi as he began their trek through the forest at a brisk pace as he hoped to catch their friends before Zabuza did.

_'I know this Zabuza guy and he's dangerous, too much for Kurenai and her squad to handle alone. They are going to need me..and Naruto too.'_

Kakashi glanced at his student and even though he could not see him under that hood, he knew Naruto was ready for battle. That gave him a boost of confidence knowing that they would not be ill prepared to face Zabuza.

Sakura silently watched Naruto run through the forest with practiced grace, subconsciously darting from one tree or bush to the next. While he had instructed her on simple assassin ideas and their past history during their two day trip to Wave, Sakura still felt like she was leaps and bounds behind him. Once they returned to Konoha, she promised herself, she would get him to start training her more thoroughly.

_'I won't be a burden next time..I promised you Naruto-kun.'_

Sasuke found himself falling behind Naruto, following in his footstep rather than leading them as he wanted to. This angered him, even more so that he caught himself reacting in such a way to Naruto's radiance of calm that he did not have. He would not be a cow of a herd like Sakura was, he would go his own path and earn power his own way.

_'I will defeat you Naruto and my brother..to show I have true strength.'_

Kakashi saw a parting ahead where the forest thinned and stopped running, holding up his hand to let them know to stop as well. Naruto ran up a tree along the side of the road to scope out what his sensei saw, creeping through the thick branches of leaves to where he could see clearly along the road. Sakura watched in quiet amazement while Sasuke just clinched his teeth in annoyance.

The silver-haired jounin waited for Naruto to give him a signal on what was coming their way. All he knew was that a group of four or five people were headed for the bridge, but who they were was beyond him. While they could be workers, they could also be assassins in disguise for all he knew. A whistle that sounded like a bird came from the tree and Kakashi's shoulders sagged in relief; friendlies.

Naruto leaped off of the branch and into the middle of the street, surprising Tazuna and his escorts. The three genin quickly got into a manji formation around Tazuna and Kurenai moved in front with a kunai, not about to be caught off guard. The assassin turned to face them fully and suddenly the jounin relaxed, seeing the red sash with Konoha's headband sewed into it across his chest. Squad 8 sensed their teacher's change in behavior and reluctantly followed, relaxing even further when Sasuke and Sakura emerged from the trees with Kakashi.

"Hey guys!" Sakura waved and ran over to see them, happy to see friendly faces.

Naruto watched Sakura interact with her friends from the village, a small smile formed under his hood. While he had no particular love for the village, he would have to thank his father for pushing him to become a ninja too. It was thanks to that he got to meet Sakura and it was because of the village that she was with her friends, smiling. He wanted to protect that smile, he wanted to protect Sakura.

"_**Teaching her your clan's ways will put her in danger kit..I hope you know what you are doing."**_ Kyuubi warned him as his thoughts wandered.

_'Yes..but she is already a ninja, her life will be put in danger often enough. If my training will make her happy and have her become stronger then its something..and-'_

"_**And you want to stay close to her eh? You humans are so predictable when it comes to emotions..but do as you please. Your life is short enough as is."**_ Naruto just took that as Kyuubi's blessing, for what it was worth.

Sasuke stood away from his old class-mates' gathering, not bothering to catch up with them. They were weaklings if they needed another team's help and so he had nothing to say other than to ask where this enemy was.

"Sakura-san..who is that?" Hinata asked in a very quiet voice, pointing timidly to the cloaked person still standing a ways off from them.

The question brought the attention back on Naruto as Kiba looked at him, scratching his chin in thought. Shino had already been observing Naruto as they spoke, curious about him. It was obvious from the cloak he was no ordinary ninja and because he was on the squad but was not part of their class, it was safe to assume he had to be important enough to get a pass to join.

"Oh, I can't believe I didn't think to do it sooner!" Sakura berated herself as she ran over to Naruto and grabbed his gloved hand, surprising him as she gave him a cute smile. "Come on over Naruto, let me introduce you to my friends!"

"Sakura I don't think-" It was too late as she was already pulling him along, having tucked his arm under hers.

Hinata's blush intensified as they came closer, she was able to get a better look at him even with the hood still hiding his main features. Kiba felt his Inuzuka male dominance go out the window when Naruto approached, as if a bigger dog had come into their pack and taken over.

Shino himself was quite passive about the whole thing as he wanted to know more about this new person.

"Everyone, this is Namikaze Naruto. He joined our team since with Sasuke and I that only made two..he was outside the village while we were in the academy so that's why we never saw him." The three others seemed to process this and Naruto was nervous about how much Sakura would let on.

"_A..Namikaze? Where have I read that name before.."_ Shino whispered to himself, trying to remember where he had heard such a name before it hit him; the Yondaime.

_'He is related to the Yondaime?'_

"Hello..Namikaze-dono." Hinata bowed and surprised Kiba and the others by her high level of respect used addressing the name.

"Hinata..you know this guy?" The Inuzuka asked, not understanding the situation; Hinata stood straight again and nodded at her team-mate.

"Yes Kiba-kun, the Namikaze clan killed many would-be kidnappers that tried to take Konoha children. My father says it is our duty to honor their passing, although I'm sure he would be pleased to know one survives still." Kiba looked from Hinata back to Naruto, surprised.

"So yer saying that this guy's family..saved us?" When she nodded, he slapped his forehead in disbelief.

Sakura was surprised too, Naruto hadn't told her that. What else was there to the Namikaze she didn't know? Lots, if she had to guess.

"There is no need to give me so much respect Hyuuga-san, I did not save anyone personally-"

"That's not true! You saved Sasuke and I on our last mission!" Sakura argued as she did not want him to be so modest, he deserved the praise.

Kiba heard that and looked over at Sasuke who was trying to hide his face, both from rage and embarrassment. It wasn't long before he started cracking up laughing, pointing at the Uchiha.

"Haha! So the great Uchiha needed rescuing? That's great! That's rich!" Naruto didn't say anything and Sakura realized her words hurt Sasuke's pride, and she felt bad for him.

"Kiba, that's enough." He ignored her and kept poking fun at the boiling Uchiha.

"What's the matter Sakura? Why do you keep standing up for him? Do you still think he likes you? Ha! That guy couldn't care less if some girl liked him or not! You know what I mean too, don't you Uchiha?" Before Sakura could rectify his thoughts on her feelings for the Uchiha, Sasuke erupted.

"Shut up you mutt! I am an Uchiha, the village elite! You have no right to talk down to me! I am stronger than Naruto, and I will prove it when I defeat the guy you couldn't here!" Kiba quieted down and growled at his offensive comment; it seemed as if the two were going to fight about it before Kakashi returned with Kurenai.

The two Jounin had been off to the side, speaking in hushed tones about the situation in Wave. After getting the gist of the situation, Kakashi outlined a basic strategy that she accepted. It was now time to enact the plan and to put away any grudges.

"Kiba, Sasuke! You can fight each other all you want after the mission is over." Kakashi stood between them, keeping them off of each other. "Right now we have a job to do in case you forgot." He hiked a finger over his shoulder to where Tazuna sat on the dirt road, waiting somewhat impatiently.

The two genin looked at one another before turning away without a second glance. The Jounin sighed and scratched his head, there was no pleasing this batch. He turned to Naruto as Kurenai gathered her team to stand with her and get Tazuna moving.

"Naruto, you and Sakura will enter the village and scout it out. Keep an eye out for a shinobi wielding a large sword who wears a Kiri headband, that's our enemy. His name is Zabuza Momochi, once a member of the elite group of swordsmen in Kirigakure before he took off on his own. If you see him, relay his position back to me. Sasuke and I will join Kurenai's squad on guard duty at the bridge." Naruto nodded in acceptance and looked at Sakura who also nodded, happy to stay with Naruto.

"Come along Sasuke, we've got work to do." The Uchiha huffed but followed anyway, figuring he had a better chance of fighting the enemy than Naruto anyway if the important person was with him.

_'I'll show you all what it means to be an Uchiha.'_

000

_'Hmm..so they are dividing their forces? That assassin and pink haired girl are going off alone to watch for Zabuza-sama. I will see what I can do to slow their progress..'_

Haku hid within a tree as the Konoha group got underway and split from one another. With stealth skills on par with Naruto, Haku observed Naruto and Sakura leave and quickly began to follow them through the trees. Under Zabuza-sama's orders, he would do whatever it took to see that they succeeded in their mission to kill Tazuna.

If it meant taking on the assassin, he would do just that.

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Tazuna's Village_

"Oh..my god." Sakura gasped as they entered the town of Wave; Naruto merely clinched his fist.

They had a front row view to the poverty of the country and the people who lived there. Gaunt faces, heads hung in sorrow, children begging for scraps; this was such a terrible sight. Naruto realized that Sakura was quite disturbed by it as she had lived within Konoha all her life and could not imagine something as terrible as this. He took her hand and began to lead her through, trying his best not to say anything.

Most of the children stayed away from them as they were afraid of Naruto, otherwise they would be begging the foreigners for money or food. The adults didn't pay them much mind as their hearts had been broken long ago under Gato's rule, they just lived by the day now. A few of the older citizens, the ones who knew of a life of wealth long before Gato came along, nodded or clapped as the Konoha ninja viewed their city.

_'They hope we are here to help them..but helping make one person's life happy will only make someone else even worse. There must be a root to this problem..'_

"Naruto..this is terrible. Look at this place.." Sakura whispered as they walked along the dirt roads of Wave as if all the life had been sucked away.

Shop vendors closed early as they either ran out of what little stock they had or had no one to buy it. Some drunks stumbled aimlessly away from the sake dens, obviously one vice that was still allowed. Naruto watched one man standing in front of his home, just sweeping the dirt away in one spot for the entire time they passed.

_'I can't allow this to go on. Something must be done..'_

As Sakura watched a group of children play with one another on the side of the street, Naruto began to lead her down a dark alley. When she realized they were no longer on the main road, Sakura looked around to notice how they were now in quite a secluded spot and blushed. The assassin let go of her hand and began to slide his hands along a wooden wall of one of the houses, occasionally knocking on the hard surface.

"Oh Naru-kun, if you wanted to be alone all you had to do was ask.." Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and waited for him to pounce on her; instead he hit one specific part of the wall hard and it fell in on itself.

Sakura gasped but was quickly quieted down by Naruto's glove, he just shook his head to stay quiet. When she nodded, he let her go and crouched down so he could fit in the small hole made. Once through, he waved her inside the dark and musty room that looked as if it hadn't been used in decades. To get through, Sakura held her breath and reminded herself it was a "Trial of Love".

Once Sakura was inside the small storage room, Naruto quickly picked the wooden wall back up and put it back where it belonged. Standing up, Naruto noticed the room was a little _too_ dark and he figured Sakura could not see a thing as he could hear her mumbled panics.

"Wuh..whoa! Where am I, I hope I'm not stepping on anything.." Naruto heard a crack and a defeated sigh. "Valuable."

Naruto's enhanced sight gave him a bit better chance at getting them through to their destination, so he grabbed Sakura's quivering hand and held it tightly.

"Don't worry Sakura, I'll guide us there." As he said those words, the quivering stopped and Naruto knew she trusted him.

"Thank you, Naru-kun." He led her forward and opened the single door of the room to exit, bringing them into what seemed to be the only other room of the house.

The only thing that made this area brighter than the back room was that there were two windows near the small door that faced the street outside, and a single fireplace that seemed well kept.

"Ah..so one of you Namikaze have finally come to visit me." Naruto and Sakura turned their eyes back to the fireplace and saw what appeared to be an old man, sitting in a very cushioned, faded red chair.

"I was starting to think you all had forgotten about Wave..seeing as how we've been having a whole lot of trouble lately if you haven't noticed." He did not get up to greet them, so Naruto took a few steps toward him.

Sakura gripped his arm tightly, she was afraid of this mysterious person. How did he know Naruto?

"The Namikaze are dead..I am the only one left." It was quiet for a moment before the old man let out a breath of air; it turned out to be smoke from his pipe.

"Well, that doesn't stop you from doing something about this Gato fella now does it? I can give you the info you need and your payment to me will be killing him. This town has suffered long enough under his yoke.." Sakura realized that this man must have been some sort of informant for the Namikaze, that would explain how he knew Naruto's clan.

"Very well, give me the details." Suddenly a scroll was thrown from the darkness and Naruto caught it, it was an assassin contract detailing a businessman named Gato.

"I've had plenty of spare time and was hoping a Namikaze would come along eventually..so I already wrote it up." Naruto began to look through his profile, his frown deepening as he read on what the man had done.

"And all this information is up to date?"

"Right up to today." Sakura saw Naruto's hands grip the parchment in reserved anger before he put it away, nodding to himself.

"I will go now, there is no sense in delaying it. His actions will not be allowed to stand any longer, the Creed will not allow it." The old man had a little chuckle as they made their way to the door.

"I never got you assassins and your code, I just hope you gut him like a fish. Its more than he deserves.." Naruto opened the sliding door and showed himself out and Sakura quickly followed, happy to leave the creepy old man behind.

"Who was that man Naruto?" She asked as they began a casual walk toward the center of town.

"Just an informant my clan used when they had missions in Wave. Informants are used to give us information on a target, but instead of us requesting them to spy on someone when we arrive, they already have the information written and memorized on all potential targets. They also sometimes offer weaponry, a place to stay, or..other favors depending on their job." Sakura nodded, it was as she figured.

"When we arrive at this man's house Sakura, you will stay outside. You are not yet ready to join me in an assassination." Naruto warned her as he did not want to see her get hurt.

While she seemed not so happy at the fact, Sakura nodded. In her current state, she would only be a burden to Naruto when he went after the man. Maybe she could find a better way to support him though..

"When you are outside, if you see anyone suspicious try and enter just whistle. I'll be able to hear you and I will get out of there." They arrived at their destination, a large building with a chain-link fence surrounding it.

"You promise?" She asked, not sure he would agree to such a thing.

"Of course." He smiled and pointed to a nearby house where she would have a good view of the compound.

"Remember just like I taught you how to climb up trees on our way here. Apply chakra to the soles of your feet and walk up the wall, the roof will be a good place to hide." Sakura nodded and walked over toward the building.

She took a deep breath before running up the wall to reach the roof. At first she was afraid she would mess up, but she remembered Naruto's lesson advice and it helped her reach the top.

Naruto smiled at her success and turned back toward the compound, it was his turn. With one leap, he was over the chain fence and running toward the door. Two thugs guarded it and they were shocked to see him coming at them out of nowhere. Before they could even grab their weapons, Naruto punched one in the gut and slammed the other into the wall effectively knocking them both out.

Sakura wanted to clap and cheer for him but decided to stay quiet. It wouldn't do for her to draw attention to him or herself, so instead she did the job Naruto gave her. Other than the two guards at the door, there was no one else guarding the compound's outside. She wondered if this Gato was so confident no one would try anything that he didn't feel the need to have someone outside.

_'Well it doesn't matter..Naruto will take him down once and for all.'_

000

_'So the assassin is after our employer? I should have guessed his Creed would not allow him to let this oppression continue..unfortunately it is not what Zabuza-sama wants.'_

Haku, careful to avoid the girl's watchful eye, entered the compound. Today was not the day the Namikaze would make another kill.

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Gato's Estate_

Naruto had entered and explored the estate with little trouble. If the rooms were not empty, the thugs were easily avoided and it seemed Gato made sure to keep them in their own wing of the building. He probably did not enjoy their company, to no surprise. Once Naruto found a large double door, he knew he had arrived at the man's office.

From what he read on the contract, Gato was guarded at all times by two samurai by the names of Zori and Waraji. They had some skill with a blade but were overconfident and arrogant, most likely because they had been fighting against the weak townspeople for so long. He would enjoy teaching them a lesson, and he wouldn't mind killing them if given the opportunity.

Confident there was nothing that could become a problem, Naruto opened the door and entered the room. The wall on the far side of him, behind the desk, was lined with windows. The only furniture was the single desk in the center of the room where Gato now sat, flanked by his bodyguards. Naruto figured this was more of a meeting place than where he actually conducted real "Business".

"Hey I didn't ask for any of you-" Gato took another look at Naruto and stroked his chin in thought. "Hey now, I don't remember hiring someone that looked like you. What's your name?" Naruto walked toward the desk, not even flinching when the samurai put their hands on the katana strapped to their hips.

"My name is unimportant, it would seem the name "Gato" however is _very_ important." Gato, not one to miss praise, smirked devilishly.

"Well of course, I'm the richest man on the island and probably one of the richest in the world! No one can equal me in wealth or power around here..and that's the way I like it." Naruto bit back a snort of disgust and just kept walking, nearing the desk now.

"Yes..the richest man of Wave, while the rest of the people suffer. Do you enjoy letting these people suffer under your rule? Can you really not see past your own selfish gains to help your fellow man?" Now Gato was getting annoyed and a little scared, this kid just comes barging in and preaching to him about "helping a fellow man"?

"Ha! These people are so weak, a rat could push 'em around! At least I'm making a profit from it, who are you to judge _me_?" Naruto stopped a few feet from his desk, clinching his fist so the hidden blade slowly unsheathed.

"Judge? Jury? I am all that..and your executioner." Before Gato could process it, Naruto broke into a sprint to cover the distance to Gato.

Zori and Waraji couldn't believe the kid's speed and only had their katana half-way out of their holsters when the kid was about to leap over the desk. From under his hood, Naruto shot some needles from his mouth while in mid-air. They hit the samurai in the neck, along their arms and hands; their bodies immediately lost feeling and they fell back onto the ground.

Gato couldn't believe what was happening, how was it this kid was succeeding where the rest had failed? He was afraid, more afraid than he had been even of Zabuza!

_'No! Get away from me!'_

Suddenly, a tile from the ceiling fell and a dark figure rolled out and pushed Naruto off his trajectory, making his hidden blade slice past Gato's cheek with just a scratch. The blonde quickly recovered and turned around to see someone standing next to Gato's chair, the one who had interfered. They wore unassuming robes but covered their face in a mask, a Kiri hunter-nin mask. This confused Naruto, as the hunter-nin were supposed to only go after a rogue ninja from their village, not interfere with worldly affairs.

_'It must mean Gato bribed this one somehow..how disgraceful to see how far the Kiri clan of assassins have fallen. To allow themselves to be integrated into the village was one thing but to go so far as allow themselves to be forced into taking missions like regular shinobi..they can no longer be considered assassins.'_

"Why do you interfere with this man's death? Even though you are a hunter-nin to your village, as an assassin of the Creed, you must see why this man must die. Leave and I will forgive this intrusion." Haku said nothing and Naruto growled, charging forward to engage his new enemy.

Haku leaped forward and met him in the middle, their wrist-blades met and a battle of strength ensued. Gato turned his chair around in fear of the outcome, but saw that Haku still lived to hold the assassin off. He took one last look at the fight before he took off running out of the office with a squeal. Naruto howled in anger that this assassin allowed his target to get away and he would make him pay.

"You! How dare you make me lose my target! Did your master teach you nothing-" Haku broke their intertwined blades by leaping back a few feet.

"My master is Zabuza-sama. He took me in when the rest of society persecuted me and I will serve him until death..I have no use for the Creed you or my ancestors follow, it has done me no good." Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing, this assassin was turning away from his duty?

"Not only a traitor..but a slave that uses his skills for someone else' gain. I will make sure to end your life so you do not disgrace the name of assassins any further." Naruto holstered his blade and began weaving hand signs, much to Haku's curiosity.

"You are an odd one..to be so loyal to the Creed that has killed so many people. I suppose that as long as we have not lived in each others place, we will not understand the others situation. But right now is not our time to fight..soon, but not now."

"Shut up!" Naruto grabbed his two tantos and gathered the chakra from his jutsu onto them.

"**Kazekiri no Jutsu!**" The wind chakra that had enveloped the blades launched from the weapons as Naruto swung them, deadly crescents of wind that would cut straight through Haku.

Naruto did not see that Haku had been going through hand signs as well and as soon as the crescents were launched, Haku created an ice mirror and escaped. Naruto looked around, wary of where his opponent could come from.

"_**Above you Naruto!"**_ Kyuubi's warning made Naruto look up to see a hail of needles fall from Haku's ice mirror on the ceiling.

He quickly encased the blades in wind chakra and did the same jutsu to cut through the needles, only for Haku's mirror to appear behind him, using the light shining from the windows to blind Naruto. Before he could attempt the same jutsu, Haku used his needles again and this time scored a few penetrations on Naruto's arm and leg.

"_**Dammit! They are laced with a paralysis poison! I will try to slow it down.."**_ Naruto cursed himself as he watched Haku's mirror melt and disappear, leaving him alone in the room.

000

An ice mirror appeared on the roof of Gato's home and Haku stepped out, looking none the worse. It was then that he brought his left arm up for inspection and saw a thin gash that just began to bleed and he silently cursed. It seemed the assassin's jutsu was quicker than he anticipated.

_'He is a tough opponent..hopefully that will keep him out of our battle on the bridge. I don't know how it would turn out if I had to face him again..'_

000

_'I..I'm getting weaker.'_ Naruto slowly holstered his tanto blades and began to drag himself toward the exit.

"_**I sense another presence coming..it is your precious vixen. Seems she got worried."**_ Naruto would've been ready to scold her for coming after him, but in this situation he was glad for the fact.

_'I don't think I can make it out of here alone.'_

Sakura burst through the door and found Naruto limping toward her with only one arm and leg still functioning. She quickly ran over and looped his limp arm around her shoulders to help steady him.

"Naruto, what happened?" He just shook his head.

"Not enough time..we have to get out of here before more show up. Behind us..we'll go out the window." Sakura helped him move over to the window where he placed an explosive tag to blow out the hardened glass.

They moved off to the edge of the room where the blast would not find them and waited before the seal turned red and exploded in a fiery mess. They wasted no further time leaping out of the new exit, over the chain fence, and into the forest that sat undisturbed on the other side of Gato's compound.

"Naruto, where are we going?" Since they left, he had been giving her directions or pointing off toward a random tree or bush.

He was breathing heavily now as it was taking much effort just to continue walking as he felt the feeling go in his other leg. Kyuubi was cursing within his mind but was still trying his best to counteract the poison. It would be similar to the one he used and that meant the only way to get rid of it would be another assassin's anti-toxin medicine.

"To..a safe house. It should be nearby, keep going Sakura." Sakura was never so scared before, Naruto had never seemed so weak in her eyes.

She didn't want to lose him so that meant she needed to do what he said. As soon as they rounded another tree Naruto had pointed out, he finally told her to stop. He told her to tap her foot over a small square of grass next to the tree, which she did so; it turned out the grass was fake, merely a cover for a whole that descended underneath the earth.

Sakura rested Naruto's limp body against the tree as she took off the covering of the hole just wide enough for a person to fit. She took a peek and saw that it was a bit of a drop and looked at Naruto, concerned. The assassin just chuckled.

"Its safe Sakura, my clan made use of places like this often to rest before and after assassinations. It should have some medicine for this paralysis poison too." Sakura still looked unsure but went with his plan.

"Just help me get over there, I can slide down myself.." Sakura picked him up and brought him over to the hole, allowing him to slowly detach from her and use his arms to slow his descent downward so he would not fall and break his legs from the drop.

After a while, Sakura took a look around and followed him inside, placing the grass cover back over the hole to cover their tracks.

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Bridge_

Kakashi watched as the workers toiled away on the bridge, he and Kurenai stood off toward the side on the railing while the genin helped do the occasional odd job for the workers. Suddenly, he felt a jolt up his spine and looked off toward the city; a bad feeling in his gut surfaced.

_'Naruto..Sakura..I hope everything is alright.'_

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Assassin Hideout_

"Easy Sakura.."

"R-right!" Sakura had dragged Naruto over to the small bed within the single-room safe house.

Because there was only dirt and roots that made up the walls, she guessed it did not cave in because the Namikaze used some type of Doton or Fuinjutsu to keep the integrity strong. All along the walls were shelves with bottles, weapons, and odd pieces of clothing; along each wall were flags that held the Namikaze clan insignia.

"Sakura, focus." Naruto now had her sitting next to his bed, pulling out the three needles that had imbedded themselves in his bicep and thigh.

"Won't they bleed if I remove them so suddenly like this?" There were a few bandages and such around in case such a thing was necessary but Naruto allayed her concerns.

"No, these are medical needles; extremely precise and don't leave much of a wound behind. Also, I have a heightened healing ability so the wounds won't remain for long." He was of course referring to Kyuubi but left the name out specifically as to not frighten Sakura.

"_**My work again goes unjustified..'heightened healing ability' thanks to me you little brat."**_

_'I think its more important now I get healed rather than have a lengthy explanation as to why you are inside of me. Don't you think?'_ Naruto responded with the same sarcasm offered by Kyuubi who reluctantly quieted down in agreement.

Sakura began the process of removing all three, likening it almost to a porcupine's needles. Not once did the assassin make a grunt or growl of pain, he only watched her as she delicately removed the needle, cleaned the wound, and dabbed a bit of ointment on each before bandaging it. When she was done, Naruto asked her to grab a purple flask from the wall and bring it over, what she guessed was the anti-toxin.

"Sakura, please help me take off my hood." She nodded and grabbed his hood, slowly bringing it behind his head so that it would not interfere.

"There you go Naruto..here, let me help you drink." She poured a bit of the flask into a glass and brought it to his lips, one hand behind his head to keep his neck inclined.

When finished with the cup, he did not ask for seconds after the vile taste. Sakura cleaned the glass and put the bottle back on the wooden shelf before returning to Naruto's side. Not knowing what else to do, she fidgeted in her chair and her fingers fiddled with one another in her lap in a nervous pattern. Naruto smiled and shifted a bit so her eyes came back to him.

"The way you took care of my wounds..I think I know what I will teach you in the assassin arts." Sakura's eyes widened, just from her little performance he knew what training to give?

"You see Sakura, the assassins and especially the Namikaze have developed a few different styles or classes to make use of a person's talents. Some have an affinity for genjutsu and become Tricksters, others have strength in taijutsu and become Brawlers, even within the Namikaze we had our own unique one called an Agile. But you..I see you being a Healer." Sakura blushed, she could admit she found the medical ninjutsu in Konoha fascinating but she had never given herself a chance to study it.

"I don't know..I'm probably no good at being a medic." She smiled sheepishly but Naruto shook his head in disagreement.

"I saw the look of focus and intensity you gave while you were handling the needles and wounds, its perfect for you Sakura. Healers amongst assassins not only make potions to heal their fellow clan members but are also skilled in the use of poisons for use in assassinations. I can teach you all of it..if you would allow me to." Sakura looked at his eyes and realized he was not joking, he really did see something of value in her.

_'I..I really can do something to help Naruto?'_

She had thought that he would train her in basic attacks or taijutsu-she never expected him to actually teach her to be an assassin.

"So, would you like that Saku-" Naruto could speak no more when Sakura practically tackled him, bringing her arms around his neck and just crying into his ear.

"Thank you so much Naruto! I promise I will do my best to make you happy!" Naruto, despite now having trouble breathing, just smiled and brought a weak hand up to stroke her back.

"_**The use of your limbs is coming back..looks like its almost time we have our revenge. They will surely head to the bridge while they think you are out of the the running..oh how wrong they will be."**_ Naruto concurred with Kyuubi's thoughts.

_'Yeah..but let me lay here just a little longer...'_

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Bridge_

After Naruto and Sakura did not return after a few hours of scouting, Kakashi and Kurenai both concurred something had happened. When they warned Tazuna it would be time to pack up early, he quickly dismissed his workers and made sure everyone else left before he allowed the Konoha-nin to take him home.

"Kurenai, you take your squad and head back to Tazuna's home to keep Tsunami-san and Inari-san safe. I wouldn't doubt it if Gato tried to use them against us." Kurenai nodded and took off with her squad while Kakashi and Sasuke would escort Tazuna home at a pace he could keep up with.

"Let's get going before-"

"Oh? Leaving so soon Kakashi?" They turned around to see Zabuza standing on the bridge, a smirk hidden under his bandages as he saw their eyes light up in fear.

"Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from Kirigakure and the master of the Silent Kill technique. Looks like we won't be getting away as easily as I hoped." Kakashi moved to stand between him and Tazuna to better protect him from attack.

"I see the Copy Ninja of Konoha knows of me just as I know of him, I'm honored to make your acquaintance. From what I hear, Haku also met with one of your students and an assassin no less. It seems we both have interesting tools at our disposal." When he said the boy's name, Haku appeared next to him in the same outfit as before although he bandaged his arm.

"..And it would seem my student gave him a nasty wound, something I would expect from Konoha's Namikaze heir." Zabuza glared at Kakashi and Haku did not show any reaction at all.

"Enough of this idle banter, I'm here to kill that bridge builder of yours. If you stand aside then I will not attack you." Kakashi sighed and closed his right eye, bringing a hand up to lift his headband.

"I don't think so.." He revealed his sharingan to Zabuza who smiled in anticipation. "You'll have to go through me first."

Zabuza unsheathed his sword and rested it on his shoulder, glancing at Haku before looking at Sasuke.

"Let's see how our _students_ do against one another, eh Kakashi? Haku..see if that Uchiha brat is any good, if the Namikaze could give you such a cut let's see what an Uchiha can do." Sasuke growled at the challenge and stepped forward only to be stopped by Kakashi's hand.

"This battle is between you and me Zabuza. Sasuke, stay with Tazuna." The swordsmen chuckled and used his sword to point at the frightened bridge builder.

"You don't seem to understand Kakashi, you try and stop Haku and I will kill that man. If you fight me then Haku goes through your little brat and then kills him. You pick which one suits your taste better." Kakashi's eyes settled in a dangerous glare before he reluctantly lifted his arm out of Sasuke's way.

"Sasuke.." The boy looked at his teacher who kept his eyes on Zabuza, his tone was dangerous. "Don't lose."

000

And we will cut it off right there. You get some more insight on how the assassins work with informants, the presence of safe houses, and the different classes of assassins. I added the specific classes to keep things interesting and to accommodate for all the different styles of fighting in Naruto, I felt the assassins would adapt and make their own ways to equal shinobi (ex. Medical-nin = Healer Genjutsu Master/Mistress = Trickster etc).

The different assassin classes all utilize the tools of an assassin but they are also specialized in some sort of shinobi skill as well.

We also revealed Haku's place, but I didn't go into too much detail on Kirigakure and their Assassin Sect. I also hope you liked Squad 8's reaction to Naruto and got a little more insight on what kind of people the Namikaze are.

I hope you enjoy.

Review!

Peace!


	8. Redemption through the Creed

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 8

Redemption through the Creed

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

**MAJOR SUGGESTION:** Head to my profile before reading the chapter and look up what Mizu Assassin robes to better envision the characters in the chapter.

Hello everyone, we are here again with a new chapter of _Namikaze Assassin_. We are now getting into the thick of battle with Zabuza and Haku engaging Kakashi and Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura are getting ready to come to their aid, but will they make it in time? What is it about Zabuza that only Naruto knows? And how will they finally free Wave from Gato's tyranny?

I think at the end of this, you will see that I like Zabuza very much, I think his style is very cool and his personality is top notch for a ninja coming from the Bloody Mist. I see how necessary it was for the plot to have him appear to Naruto early and die, but I would have preferred if he lived on. I would be a bigger fan of Haku if he was a girl in canon, but since he's a boy it kind of just ruined his character for me.

You might be confused if you watched the anime and saw the battles take place during day while these take place during late afternoon to evening. Its because of the totally different timetable the battles and arrival of Team 7 are going from, so the story is supposed to be like this.

Also, I might be taking a delay in writing the next chapter for _Blonde Uchiha_ to see if I can get inspired to write for _Mercenary for Hire_. I've been psyching myself for it by playing _Mercenaries_ and _Alpha Protocol_, along with reading a few other stories I have.

If I don't get through to it, I will just move back to Blonde Uchiha but as I like to say, its imperative for authors to have multiple stories with multiple settings to prevent writers block and disinterest.

000

_**The Creed**_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Bridge_

"Sasuke.." The Uchiha looked at his teacher, wary of his tone. "Don't lose."

Sasuke smirked and readied a kunai, there was no way he would lose to this masked ninja. Naruto couldn't beat him and that meant that this was his chance to show the Uchiha were superior to all. When he was done with Haku, the cut on his arm would be the least of his worries.

Kakashi kept his eyes on Zabuza, wary of any treachery shown on his part. This was the rogue criminal that attempted to kill the Yondaime Mizukage, the ex-Kiri Assassin that created the Silent Killing technique that made Kiri infamous. Naruto would be better suited to handle him than Kakashi, but even then he was not only a talented assassin but a Jounin shinobi with the skills of a master swordsman.

The man was what any shinobi would aspire to be in skill, but he had surpassed man and went to the level of demon fitting of his nickname. Numerous murders, raids, and shinobi bounties were orchestrated by him, leading him to be a very wanted criminal in all major village circles.

_'Without proper assassin training, there is no way I can keep up with him without my sharingan. This is going to be a tough battle..but I'm more worried about Sasuke. That kid's an assassin too..'_

"**Mizu Bunshin.**" Haku's ice-cold voice woke him from his stupor and he watched as five clones of Haku surrounded Sasuke.

Before any could launch an attack, Sasuke leaped into action and sliced through three of them. The fourth was able to parry his kunai with a needle and the fifth threw a few of the senbon at him. Sasuke used his free hand to grab hold of the water clone he was entangled with and pulled him in front of the ranged attack, making the clone explode in a splash of water when it was hit.

The fifth clone was getting ready to charge when Sasuke ran forward and stabbed it in the stomach, causing it to fall as well. Zabuza gave a low whistle at the boy's ability; to be able to take on five Haku's at one time was no easy feat, even if they were just clones.

The real Haku appeared next to Sasuke in a glimpse and revealed his hidden blade, ready to slice through the boy's neck. Just barely keeping at the same speed, the Uchiha brought up his kunai to block and a power struggle ensued as they pushed against one another.

_'This guy..he has the same weapon as Naruto.'_ A sudden feeling of unease arose in Sasuke's gut as he realized that this boy had the same skill as Naruto, perhaps even surpassing it.

Haku sensed his weakness and capitalized on it as he began to weave hand signs with one hand. Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of just using one hand to make hand signs, it was unheard of to do so.

_'That guy must have done some serious chakra exercise training to be able to mold with just one hand..even I can't do that.'_

Sasuke saw the water around him began to float into the air and knew something was off. The hand signs were weaving some sort of jutsu and he needed to get out of there before he finished. If he just fell back though, Haku would pursue and they would be back in the same situation.

Zabuza smirked as Haku unleashed another of his talents; advanced shape manipulation of his chakra. The globules of water quickly took the shape of dozens of needles, all poised to hit the brat in one shot. To be able to do such shape manipulation in conjunction with nature transformation and with just one hand, that showed talent at its highest value.

_'That's it Haku..show them how much you're worth.'_

Kakashi watched on in fear of the outcome, he didn't think Sasuke had the speed to avoid it. He glanced at Zabuza and saw his eyes were watching the fight with a certain amount of glee behind them. Maybe he could move fast enough to get Sasuke out of harms way and still get back into position to protect Tazuna.

One foot turned in the direction of the battle and Kakashi was face to face with Zabuza. Even under the worn midnight blue hood, Kakashi could still see Zabuza's killer intent. With one hand on the hilt of his blade, Kubikiribōchō, and the other palm flat on the ground to steady the weight, the swordsman was one attack short of slicing through Kakashi.

"What did I tell you that you did not understand, Kakashi? If you move to interfere, I _will_ kill that bridge builder." Kakashi glared at Zabuza and looked past him to watch the battle continue unabated.

Sasuke saw the needles launch at him and Haku still held him there with the threat of retribution should he retreat. In a hasty move, he jumped up through the small hole in the needle's attack just as Haku disengaged to avoid getting hit. The assassin slid back along the bridge and waited for the mist to clear to show his kill, yet instead he was rewarded by Sasuke's presence behind him.

"Looks like you're too slow for me." Haku twisted around and met Sasuke again with his blade but saw that he was able to parry it.

He dropped down to do a leg kick but was repelled when Sasuke kicked him in the face. Haku was sent flying back to their side of the bridge while Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and Zabuza was surprised that the kid actually beat Haku in speed.

_'Looks like the Uchiha brat has something that befits his family's skill level.'_ He admitted with a slight grimace.

"Haku, you will be defeated if you continue like this. Quit going easy on him." Haku picked himself up and felt embarrassed Zabuza was scolding him.

_'I'm better than this..I must defeat him to protect Zabuza-sama. I have to hurry just in case that assassin recovers sooner than I expected.'_ A cold air began to exude from Haku as he formed a unique hand sign; Sasuke didn't understand what was going on.

"Yes..Zabuza-sama." The swordsman smirked as Haku revealed his most prized skill, even greater than the assassin techniques he taught the boy.

_'This is something not even I could learn rather than teach. Only Haku can have this strength..and this is why he is so useful to me.'_

"Its..getting so cold all of a sudden." Sasuke mumbled as ice sheets began to form around him, taking the shape of large slabs.

Kakashi knew better and saw that Haku was using a jutsu, but this time it was something else. The hand sign was something he did not recognize and there was no water being used to form the ice.

_'That cold air is visible chakra being used for this jutsu..it must be a kekkei genkai from Kiri!'_ This realization changed the entire battle.

If Sasuke hadn't been outmatched before, he definitely was now. Going up against a kekkei genkai you understood was one thing, but an unknown one was lethal to even a Jounin. With Zabuza in the way though, Kakashi could only watch as the ice created a prison of mirrors around Sasuke and Haku entered one of the slabs, making his body appear all around the prison.

"Now..I will show you my true speed."

Before anyone could react, Sasuke was accosted by dozens of needles thrown from what seemed like each separate image of Haku. They sliced his outer skin, making dozens of cuts and scrapes along his skin. Some pierced the skin and remained inside, causing Sasuke to scream in pain as they punctured muscle tissue.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi looked as if he would move but Zabuza quickly stepped in front of him and prevented his movement.

"Your fight is with me, remember?" Kakashi eyed Zabuza cautiously and grabbed a kunai from his thigh pouch while Zabuza unsheathed his sword.

"I'll make this short."

Zabuza smirked.

"We'll see about that copycat."

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Forest_

The forest of Wave was quiet as the early evening mist began to encroach on the boundaries of nature. As the visibility lowered and the nocturnal wildlife came out, a certain pair decided it was time to go. From within the tunnel, a gloved hand pushed and moved the fake grass tile aside.

Naruto slowly crept up to the mouth of the hole and peeked out to see if anyone was observing them. He took in the scent of the area as well as the sights and knew they were alone with only a few animals around. With one fluid movement, he was up and out of the tunnel in a low crouch, wary of danger.

Sakura, on the other hand was struggling to climb up through the hole as there were very few handholds for her to hold onto. She had to use her chakra control just to keep from sliding down without a grip to hold onto. When Naruto leaped out, she began to panic and tried to go faster to get to the top, making her pay less attention to what she was doing.

A loose groove in the dirt that served as a handhold fell through just as Sakura grabbed onto it, causing her to lose her grip. Before she could even scream in fear, Naruto grabbed a hold of her and pulled her back up with ease. He eased her out of the hole and helped her to her feet as she seemed a bit shaken from the close call.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." He nodded in return and began to look around to get his sense of direction.

"Alright." He said after a moment. "There's no doubt the assassin I fought is in league with Zabuza Momochi, and the thought of having to fight him is something I would like to not think about." Sakura was surprised that even Naruto was nervous about fighting this Zabuza character, which meant he must be strong.

"Who is he Naruto?" The blonde sighed and looked at the ground in thought.

"Zabuza Momochi, Jounin of the Hidden Mist, master swordsman, and an infamous Kiri assassin. From what our archives of him read, he was the greatest Gladiator the Kiri clan ever produced. He killed many shinobi and assassins, Namikaze too, during the Third Shinobi World War." He sounded like a heartless killer to Sakura, nothing like Naruto who killed in pursuit of peace.

"But it wasn't until his attempted assassination of the Yondaime Mizukage did Zabuza fall from honor completely. After his failed assassination, he left Kiri and went into hiding and committed many crimes that go against our code. It looks like he has fallen from the Creed completely, and that means I must kill him so that he no longer dishonors us." Sakura became terrified at this and quickly grabbed his sleeve, making him look at her.

"You can't Naruto! He's a Jounin, an assassin from Kiri! He will destroy you if you try and fight!" Naruto just smiled and placed his hand over Sakura's.

"Have a little faith in me Sakura-chan, I am stronger than you think."

"But Naruto-" His serious look made her quiet her protests as she knew there was no way to dissuade him.

"Even if I die, I will die as a true assassin. There is no greater death than dying for what you believe in..or for someone you care about." Sakura watched as he smiled at her when he said this and blushed.

"Now come, we don't have much time." Naruto began a brisk run through the forest and Sakura struggled a bit to keep up.

_'Naruto..'_ Sakura caught herself from thinking about the blonde's upcoming fight, it would only make her worry more. _'I have faith in you..but how can I go against logic? He's bigger, stronger, and has way more experience than either of us combined. How can you be so calm..'_ Her eyes wandered to Naruto as he ran through the forest, even then he still maintained calm in the face of danger.

"_**So..you really plan on taking this Zabuza guy on?" **_Kyuubi asked only to be met with silence.

"_**Dammit..Figures you would try something like that. This isn't going to be like that bandit though, this guy is only a few notches below your father in skill..don't let your guard down."**_

_'Worried Kyuubi?'_ The beast growled at the assumption.

"_**Maybe because my host is going out to get himself killed with me still inside! At least tell me you have a plan."** _Naruto hummed in thought.

_'I'm working on it..' _He ignored Kyuubi's annoyance and kept running, every once in a while glancing to make sure Sakura was still with him.

_'I'm sorry Sakura..I don't want to worry you by fighting Zabuza. But this is my duty as an assassin, and I hope you will understand one day.'_

Naruto was touched Sakura cared about him enough to raise her voice to him, but this was not negotiable. Zabuza Momochi was compromising the brotherhood and harming innocents, that was two of the three tenants broken. To do such a thing would lead to severe punishment by the clan, including death as a possible consequence.

Either Zabuza was not with the clan anymore, or he was too valuable to let go.

It was then that he noticed something odd in the forest and came to a halt. Sakura, noticing his halt, came to a stop next to him on the branch of some tree. She followed his eyes and saw a wounded boar along with many slices and cuts in trees all heading in one direction.

"It seems that some swordsmen have passed by here.." Naruto mumbled in thought.

"But why would they be randomly cutting stuff along the way? Wouldn't that dull the blade?" Naruto wondered that too.

"They either were quite bored with walking and cut the trees along the way for entertainment, or they were marking their path for some reason. The logical choice would be the latter, but knowing Gato's men, chances are they were doing this for fun." Sakura nodded at his conclusion as it sounded about right.

"Come on Sakura, let's go check it out." Naruto dropped down to the ground and began running in the direction the swordsmen took.

"Uh, okay!" Sakura dropped down from the branch and ran fast to catch up with the assassin.

When she began to catch up, she asked him a question.

"Naruto, I know this could be important but what about the bridge? Isn't that where Tazuna-san and the others are?" Naruto nodded but kept running.

"This event may be related to the bridge Sakura-chan, Gato wouldn't send his goons out here for no reason. If we can defeat them, then we may be able to help Kakashi and the others on the bridge." She hadn't thought of that.

"Okay Naruto-kun, let's hurry!" Naruto smiled and picked up the pace with Sakura close behind.

It wasn't too long before they arrived at the edge of the forest and found a small, secluded pier. The light had almost totally left as evening set in and the mist was somewhat thick, but Naruto could make out a house at the end of the wooden path.

"Naruto, look!" He looked at Sakura and saw her pointing at something.

There, on the beach, were two of Gato's thugs. They were the samurai that were guarding him in the office, it seemed they'd come here for some business. Naruto was still regretting he didn't get a chance to end their lives the last time so now was a perfect chance to rectify it.

"Ok Sakura, I'll be right back." Sakura watched as he left their hiding spot within the forest and crept into the mist.

No matter how strong she knew Naruto was, Sakura would always worry when he fought. It was something she would have to get used to because in the future Naruto would fight and kill many people. If joining him as an assassin would help her protect him, then she could be happy.

_'Good luck, Naruto-kun!'_

000

_Nami no Kuni_

_Tazuna's Home_

Tsunami was sitting in the family room, holding her son Inari tight to her chest. Around her was Squad 8, save for Kurenai who had posted herself at the front door in the next room. She had been getting ready to do the dishes when the ninja came back and told her to get Inari and stay in the main room until her father returned.

That had been over twenty minutes ago, and no one had spoken a word to her.

_'My father's life must be in danger right now..maybe they thought Gato would come after us too?'_ She didn't want to think about that and just held Inari a little tighter.

"Kaa-san..what's going on? Why do we have to sit here?" Inari complained as he tried to wrestle from her grasp only to fail from her vice-like grip.

"The shinobi are protecting us sweetie, just stay with mama for right now." Inari didn't understand as the three ninja named Shino, Kiba, and Hinata were just standing there around their table.

"Protecting us from what?" Tsunami stroked her son's back, trying to both comfort him and herself.

"Gato sweetie. They think Gato may be coming here.." Inari's eyes widened and he began to shake in fear as his memories surfaced of his father's death.

_'No! Stay away from us! Haven't you gotten everything you want?'_

"Why? Why is he coming here kaa-chan?" Tsunami held back her own frightened tears to comfort her son and hold him tight, leaving the ninja to continue to watch in relative silence.

Kurenai peeked around the corner to see how they were doing and was glad to see nothing had changed. As long as they kept Tsunami and Inari safe, Gato wouldn't have a bargaining chip to stop them. Kiba and the others had been very inspired by Kakashi's squad's presence and they were taking their job very seriously now.

"Hinata, do you see anything outside? I haven't heard anything but with your Byakugan it might be good to take a look." The Hyuuga nodded and activated her kekkei genkai with a few hand signs.

"_Byakugan."_ She whispered and pressed her vision outside of the small house and onto the pier.

It was then that she noticed three figures that she did not recognize, they were _very_ close to the front door.

"Kurenai-sen-" Hinata was interrupted when the front door burst open and Inari screamed in fear.

Kurenai took out a kunai and entered the kitchen area where the front door was and saw that a thug hired from Gato had been thrown through the door and was struggling to get up. She turned around and saw Shino and the others gather around her and pointed at Tsunami.

"Stay with her! I think Kakashi's here-" She was cut off by a masculine voice begging for mercy and turned her attention back to the door.

"No please!" Naruto revealed his hidden blade sliced right through Wajari's neck as he knelt in front of him, begging for mercy.

Zori had gotten up from when Naruto rammed him through the door and pulled out his katana, taken over by fear and anger. He had killed his partner, and no matter how dangerous they knew Naruto was, he was going to pay for killing Wajari.

"Damn you kid!" By this time, Tsunami and Inari had gotten up to watch the commotion in the crowded doorway with the rest of the ninja.

Naruto looked at Zori with indifference as he pulled his blade from Wajari's neck and began to walk into the house. The samurai began to shake but held his blade steadily in front of his body, ready to attack or defend.

Kurenai thought about intervening and capturing him, but the way Naruto seemed to be looking at him from under his hood she knew better. It was as if he was locked onto a target and was not going to let him go, even if it meant fighting another Leaf ninja.

"Take this!" Zori ran forward and did a vertical slice, bringing his sword down right on top of the assassin.

Naruto easily sidestepped the blade and sent his left-handed blade right through the mercenary's shoulder, making him cry out in pain. Zori dropped his sword and stumbled backward, holding his shoulder as blood began to soak his heavy jacket. Naruto walked up to him and nonchalantly grabbed his collar and threw him toward the door where his partner's body was slumped over on the pier.

Zori hit the ground hard and tried to crawl away as Naruto exited the home with the moon at his back. The samurai turned over and watched as Naruto descended upon him with his blade, not even able to utter another scream before his soul left his body.

Sakura came running down the pier and rejoined Naruto just as he got up from the corpse. While it was always a gruesome sight to see dead bodies, Sakura mainly ignored them as she followed Naruto inside to check on everyone. Their eyes were still wide as everyone watched the assassin, amazed and frightened at his skill.

"Is everyone ok here?" Kurenai got out of her stupor and nodded.

"Yes, we were sent back this way to protect Tsunami and Inari while Kakashi and Sasuke stayed with Tazuna. Kakashi was worried about you two, where have you been?" Kiba and the others listened in as they wanted to know what happened.

"We..were attacked by one of Zabuza's accomplices and I had to rest a while to recover from the fight. We were on our way to the bridge but saw some markings leading this way so we came here instead." Naruto explained, skipping the fact he was in the process of assassinating Gato so no questions would be asked.

"I see, and then these two..?" Kurenai indicated the two bodies outside and Naruto shrugged.

"Sakura spotted them once we arrived at the pier and I saw that they were Gato's thugs. Even though I didn't know who lived here, I figured they must be important enough for Gato's two bodyguards to come here. I'm guessing that they were after her?" Naruto pointed at Tsunami who gave Naruto a sheepish nod and patted Inari's head as he buried himself into his mother's knees, hiding from the assassin.

"Good, then we came in time. We better get to the bridge though, I've got a bad feeling about what's going on over there." Naruto began to make his way out with Sakura tagging along and Kiba made to follow.

"Kiba, stay here." Kurenai ordered and he looked at her with excited eyes.

"Come on sensei! We missed out on the action but if we head to the bridge, we can take the fight to 'em!" Sakura hit him on the head from the doorway, hands on her hips in annoyance.

"Are you an idiot? More of Gato's thugs could come here when they figure out these two failed. You have to stay and protect those two!" Kiba scratched his head, he hadn't thought of that.

"She's right Kiba, we can't let our guard down here." Shino warned and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Aw..alright I guess." Sakura smirked in triumph and went to follow Naruto when Inari came running out of the house after them.

"Wait!" Naruto turned around in annoyance to see the child from inside staring at him with tear-reddened eyes but an annoyed look on his face.

"What do you want?" Sakura looked at Inari with curiosity, what could he want with Naruto?

"Why are you trying so hard to beat Gato's thugs? He'll just bring more and crush you..what makes you think you can protect anyone here?" Tsunami came running out and placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"Inari! Don't say such things to the boy that just saved you!" Inari looked up at his mother's angry face and was confused, why was she sticking up for him.

"But kaa-chan-"

"You want to know why I fight? You want to know why I kill those I see as unjust or dangerous?" Naruto asked out of the blue, walking toward Inari and his mother.

Betraying his fear, the boy nodded.

"I fight.." Naruto took a moment before continuing. "I fight because it is my duty as an assassin to kill those who hurt the innocent. The rules that all assassins must follow forbids us from harming the innocent and sets us loose on those who are corrupt and evil, like Gato."

"It is a shared hope that one day, the world will be free of war and violence as long as we stay true to our Creed. And it is my goal to make sure everyone will see peace, no matter if it costs my life or not." Tsunami and the others were humbled at Naruto's dedication and Inari had a flashback of something similar his father said.

_'If you truly care about something..even if its sorrowful or heartbreaking to continue..just keep trying and trying, even if you lose your life, you keep protecting it with these two arms of yours! That way, even if you die, you will leave proof you were a man..'_

_'Is this what you meant father? Is this what it means to be a man? To be driven by something so much you would give your life for it?'_

"That is a very honorable goal." Tsunami said to Naruto and he nodded.

"I don't know if I will live to see the fruits of my labor, but maybe the next generation will instead." Naruto turned around and began to walk, signaling for Sakura to follow.

"We'll see you guys later!" She said as she ran off with Naruto, desperate to get to the bridge in time.

Inari still stood there on the pier for a little while after they left. Tsunami thought the boy might have actually struck a chord in her son, something that hadn't been done since her late husband was with him. If so, she would be sure to thank him kindly the next time she saw him.

"Come on Inari, let's go back inside." Tsunami gently pulled her son inside or else he might have stood out there the rest of the night.

Kurenai had her squad set about replacing the door and continued to watch Tazuna's family until she got the all clear from Kakashi.

000

_Bridge_

_Outskirts of Battle_

Two figures ran across the mist-encompassed bridge, searching for the sight of battle. It hadn't taken them a particularly long time to get to the bridge and they hoped the battle was still not finished. Naruto came to a stop as he realized the mist was too thick to be from just natural causes. He brought his hands together in the ram sign and forced his chakra out around him into a physical force, dispersing the mist in a wide area around them.

Sakura looked around and saw Kakashi facing off against a man dressed very similar to Naruto; he wore the same type of robe, only his was a variety of blues and silver to Naruto's white and red. And in the distance, she saw what looked to be ice, slabs of ice hanging in the air.

_'What's going on here.'_ Naruto's voice made her jump into action.

"Sakura, stay with Tazuna. I'm going." Sakura nodded and ran over to Tazuna, she looked back at Naruto only for a few choice words.

"Don't die baka!" Naruto was taken aback for a second but then smiled.

He ran toward Kakashi and Zabuza to join the Jounin. Zabuza regarded the new arrival with a sense of humorous interest; Kakashi regarded it as a welcome relief.

"Naruto!" The boy joined the Jounin as the two broke their fight off for a moment. "Its good to see you and Sakura are ok."

"Yeah..we ran into a little trouble though during our scouting trip. Another assassin..Zabuza's latest failure of an apprentice I'm sure." Zabuza heard the remark and glared murder at Naruto as the boy smirked; Kakashi looked at Naruto curiously, he spoke as if he knew Zabuza.

"Why you little brat! How dare you insinuate I cannot train an assassin properly.." Naruto just kept smirking and took a few steps forward, much to Kakashi's ire.

"Wait Naruto! This guy is way out of your league!" Unperturbed, he continued toward the Kiri Jounin.

"Zabuza Momochi, I see your robes are in shambles. It doesn't even look you've tried to keep them in good order." It was true, the Kiri robes were tattered and ripped from many years of wear and tear.

"Ha! This old thing? I still wear it more as a mockery than anything, why bother restoring something I no longer adhere to." Naruto bunched his hand into a fist but held his anger back.

"Probably better they lost a weakling like you..someone with such lust for power and money to sink so low and work for the likes of Gato would be an insult to Kiri." Zabuza's eyes widened in fury and he took a step forward, a hand resting on his sword sheathed on his back.

"What are you trying to say you little bastard.." Naruto got into a defensive stance as they were only a few feet away from each other now.

"I'm saying..that you are ashamed of yourself because of your defeat at the hands of the Yondaime Mizukage. So much so that you fell from grace to try and gain more power so you wouldn't feel weak. You don't deserve to wear the robes of the assassin for how far you've fallen."

Zabuza growled and charged forward, bringing the broadsword down on Naruto who sidestepped to the left. He sent a punch for Zabuza's face but the man caught it with his free hand. Naruto used the grip as leverage and sent a kick to Zabuza's center, making him stumble back and pull his sword from the ground.

"What would you know of _me_? I am Zabuza Momochi, the greatest Gladiator Kiri had ever seen! I killed hundreds and perfected the clan's Silent Kill technique where no one else could..what have you done Namikaze?" Naruto wasn't surprised he recognized his robes from the Third war.

"I..have stayed loyal to the Creed. That's more than you can say." Zabuza's eyes widened and he charged forward, swinging his large sword multiple times with ease.

The blonde had some difficulty dodging the attacks, but as he suspected Zabuza focused on power much more than speed. As a Namikaze, his natural speed was enough to keep on par with his attacks, but he was being pressed to defend himself without a sword. He was using his fists on purpose though, he wanted to show how weak Zabuza was to himself with all his weaponry and prowess.

One strike, Zabuza got the sword stuck in the ground and Naruto went in to attack. The Jounin used the stuck sword's hilt to hold onto and kicked Naruto in the stomach, forcing him to slide across the bridge. The kick took a lot out of Naruto and Zabuza pulled his sword out to capitalize on his weakness.

Kakashi met him in the middle and intercepted him with a kunai, beginning a test of strength. The concerned teacher looked back at his student to see him pick himself up.

"Naruto! Go help Sasuke, I will handle Zabuza!" Naruto growled and ran forward, disappearing in a flash.

Zabuza looked around for him, wary of tricks. Kakashi saw him appear behind Zabuza and give him a hard backward punch to the cheek, forcing him to slide along the bridge. His speed was astoundingly different from when he first started the battle, Kakashi noticed.

"This is my fight..and I'm just getting started. You go help Sasuke Kakashi, I will handle Zabuza myself." Kakashi was at a loss for words, Naruto seemed quite intent on taking the ex-assassin down.

"Naruto..are you sure?" All he received was a nod and Kakashi sighed; the boy was too stubborn.

"Fine. But I'll be back here as soon as I've gotten Sasuke away from Haku." Naruto got into an offensive stance and let out a slow breath.

"It'll be over in a flash." The way he said it reminded him of Minato during their times together.

"_Kakashi, stand aside..it'll be over in a flash."_

Naruto ran into the mist after Zabuza and Kakashi ran in the opposite direction, toward Haku and Sasuke. Sakura remained in the middle of the two with Tazuna. She was a bit sad she couldn't join in, but she knew that Tazuna had to be protected at all costs, and she would not disobey Naruto.

_'Come on Naruto, you can beat him!'_

000

Zabuza wasn't just angry, he was _furious_. This Namikaze boy, a mere child, thought he could speak so highly of himself and lord over Zabuza like he was dirt? Never!

_'I'm going to enjoy killing him..'_

His advanced hearing gave him warning as he heard splashes of water coming at him. He turned into Naruto's leap attack and blocked his hidden blade with his sword.

"You will have to do better than that runt.." Naruto smirked and jumped back before jumping back into the fray and engaging him in swordplay.

Naruto's hidden blade did not have the power of the Decapitation Knife, but it did keep his speed high enough to parry and sidestep Zabuza's more powerful attacks. Each attack left the swordsman getting more and more frustrated and exhausted and allowed Naruto to get closer and closer to landing a hit.

He weaved in and out of each swing and entered Zabuza's personal space often, only getting blocked or pushed away at the last moment.

"You are getting weaker..you don't have the right to take on an apprentice. You are twisting him with your weak-willed lessons.." Naruto grunted as he launched a particularly close attack, ripping Zabuza's hood and revealing his enraged face.

"What do you know of my past? Of my hardships in Kiri?" Zabuza used the blunt side of his weapon to push Naruto back and did a horizontal swing, trying to cut him in half.

Naruto did a back flip and avoided it but Zabuza was on him in a second, possessed by some energy he didn't have before. Zabuza began to rant in response to the Namikaze's goading.

"A privileged assassin pet like you Namikaze wouldn't understand what Kirigakure was like to live in. It was a den of killers, crooks, the corrupt with too few assassins willing to do the job. They gave up and I became enraged by Yagura at how he was letting our clan slip in power! I tried to usurp him not for the Mizukage seat but for the place as Master Assassin of the Kiri clan!" This surprised Naruto as he did not know the motives behind the assassination; the hesitation gave Zabuza the time he needed to give him a good kick and sent him flying back.

"But the Yondaime used our clan against me, even as I was fighting to free us from him! I killed brothers and sisters alike as I was blinded by what I thought was right! Then Yagura defeated me when I could go on no longer and forced me to flee in shame. At that point, all I wanted was revenge, and that is still all I want today. If I must resort to using Gato to fund this, then I will do so!" Naruto got up and just stood there instead of attacking and it took Zabuza by surprise.

"You have explained your story to me Zabuza-san, and I respect the reason why you attempted to kill the Yondaime now. However, you have dishonored what you once stood for by resorting to revenge, something we are warned against. You allowed revenge to cloud your judgment and you killed many innocents and betrayed your oaths to the brotherhood." Zabuza bit his lip and used his sword to point at the boy in anger.

"What makes you think you can lecture me. What would you do in my place?" Naruto took a deep breath and waited a moment before answering.

"You are right that I cannot understand, however, I know where my duty lies as an assassin. I will not throw away the Creed just because things seem hopeless, for it is my duty to carry on until I fall. No matter what part of the world you come from Zabuza, we all have the same oath; To balance the world by ridding it of the corrupt and unjust and protecting the innocent, even in the face of persecution or death. Have you already forgotten it?"

Zabuza slowly lowered and sheathed his sword, his eyes set on the ground in thought.

"Yes..I suppose I did."

Naruto watched as Zabuza fell back into the mist and then he was alone. Had he gotten Zabuza to rethink his ways? Or had he just given him another opportunity to attack?

Unsure of the outcome, Naruto ran back to join Sakura in protecting Tazuna.

000

Kakashi ran for the ice prison as Sasuke was ripped through again by another barrage of needles. His anguished cries filled the air as Haku unrelentingly battered him with attacks. The Uchiha had just barely been deflecting the needles with the kunai when Kakashi arrived.

_'I need to track him with my sharingan to get the timing right.'_

Haku noticed Kakashi had approached the prison and knew it would be dangerous to allow him to watch his attacks. Images of Haku appeared on the outside of the ice prison as well as in and began to attack Kakashi with senbon needles. He cursed and wove back and forth, dodging the projectiles and analyzing Haku's movements.

_'They are just reflections..the boy is actually moving between mirrors at high speeds. I will have to intercept at just the right time.'_

Sasuke was tired and annoyed that Haku was giving him so much trouble when he had him on the ropes before. In anger, he threw shuriken right when the next wave of senbon started scattering the projectiles. Kakashi took the moment Haku was focusing on the Uchiha and leaped inside the prison. He got a hold of Haku's mask and slammed the assassin into his own mirror, cracking the ice from the pressure.

Haku's body went limp for a moment and began to fall; fed up with the fight and hungry for revenge, Sasuke took the chance to attack the fallen boy. He leaped up and sent a hard punch right at Haku's face, sending him right out of the disintegrating prison and shattering his mask.

Just as Sasuke was about to pursue, Kakashi held onto the back of his shirt. When he was going to order the Jounin to let him go, Kakashi pointed at Haku and Sasuke looked. The mist was beginning to clear and revealed Naruto and Sakura standing with Tazuna. Zabuza had appeared in front of Haku and picked the boy up somewhat graciously and allowed him to stand on his own feet.

The master swordsman turned to Naruto and sighed in what seemed like defeat.

"I suppose there is some truth in what you said, Namikaze. Even though I have fallen far since my prime in Kiri, I never forgot the three tenants of the Creed, and you are correct I have broken them. It seems like there are still some things even I can learn..no matter how much I wanted to forget and take the easy path." Naruto smiled and took a step toward Zabuza, bringing a fist over his heart.

"We assassins willingly take the hardest route Zabuza, to protect those who cannot." The swordsman looked at Naruto and chuckled a bit, bringing his own fist over his chest.

"Aye. I'm not sure if I'm ready yet to become an assassin again, but I will take Haku and return to Kiri. Perhaps once I return to where it all began..things will become clear." Naruto nodded and Kakashi sighed in relief, their battle was over.

"Tsk Tsk. Zabuza I am _very_ disappointed." The entire group turned to see Gato with a small army of thugs at the end of the bridge, all of them seemed hungry for a fight.

"Gato..what business do you have coming here? I no longer am employed in your service..the bridge builder is your problem now." Gato grimaced and tapped his cane on the bridge a few times in annoyance.

"I figured that you wouldn't beat these ninja, too much trouble for ya. That's why I came along to finish what's left..shame you haven't died yet, but at least this way I can see it. Your pay was too much for your trouble Zabuza, too bad it worked out like this huh?" Zabuza glared at Gato and then smirked as the Namikaze joined him at his side; they exchanged glances.

"I've always wanted to see a Kiri Gladiator in action." The swordsman lifted up his sleeves and revealed the uniquely-crafted Gladiator gauntlets; instead of a hidden blade as other assassins used, Gladiators had two cleaver blades for close combat rampage.

"Prepare to be amazed then." He unleashed the two cleaver blades attached to his gauntlets and, with a glance at the Namikaze who unleashed his dual tanto blades, charged at Gato with Naruto and the others behind him.

The Demon of the Mist lived up to his name that night.

000

_A Few Days Later_

_Nami no Kuni_

_Bridge_

Naruto and the rest of Squad 7 and 8 stood at the mouth of the completed bridge. It was Tazuna's crowning achievement and the man was still crying over it, at this point he was kicking a dead horse though. Naruto saw Inari and Tsunami had joined with the rest of the village to see them off and was proud of what happened a few nights ago.

The group of shinobi and assassins slaughtered Gato's would-be army and Zabuza finished of Gato, decapitating him and pushing his body into the sea. Just as the battle finished, the entire village had armed themselves under Inari's banner and came to support the shinobi. While everyone was glad they did not have to fight, the courage they showed contrary to the past raised their spirits high and helped finish the bridge in record time.

Zabuza and Haku left that night to return to Kiri, and Naruto wished them luck in their travels. They promised to keep in contact with proper messenger birds and Zabuza promised that "When you need us, we will be there.". Naruto wasn't sure why he would need Zabuza for anything, but the offer was a good olive branch to the previously unknown Kiri clan of assassins.

"Naruto-san, thank you again for protecting our family." Naruto awoke from his thoughts by Tsunami's warm and thankful voice.

"Of course Tsunami-san, it was my pleasure." He bowed in return and she blushed a bit.

"Yeah, you kids didn't do half bad. Thanks for seeing us through to the end." Tazuna gave them the thumbs up which Kiba returned with spunk.

"No problem old man."

"Who said I was talkin' to you?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Everyone got a good laugh as the two butt heads. Inari walked over to Naruto and tugged on his robes, bringing his attention back to the boy.

"Naruto-san..I'd like to thank you for saving us-" Naruto was about to say it was no problem but Inari quickly continued. "And for inspiring me to protect my family and my village..just like my dad. I was wondering..does that mean I could be..someone like you too?" Naruto was surprised only for a moment before he smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.

"As long as you have the drive and determination to protect the innocent, you are welcome in our brotherhood. For now, focus on becoming bigger and stronger and protect your kaa-san and grandpa." Inari smiled and nodded.

"When I grow older, I will come back here and teach you the ways of an assassin. Remember this always.." Naruto took his hand with his and shook.

"All assassins are family, and the family protects."

"Yeah! You got it Naruto! I'll get big and strong and then I'll help you and Sakura save the world!" Naruto laughed and patted him on the head again, sending him back to Tsunami.

_'Go in peace, Inari.'_

000

After the Leaf shinobi disappeared from sight on their return home, the village remained at their side of the bridge.

"So Tazuna..what should we name the bridge?" One of the townfok asked, eliciting many tones of agreement.

"It's got to mean something powerful, something that will last." Tazuna thought as he stroked his beard.

"What about the assassin kid, its thanks to him we made it right?"

"Yeah, what was his name?"

"Naruto, Naruto Namikaze!" Inari shouted out loud for everyone to hear.

Tazuna patted him on the head and smiled.

"Well? What does everybody think of the Great Naruto Bridge?" The townspeople agreed heartily and everyone clapped.

"Yes, that is a perfect name I think." Tsunami said with a smile.

_'The Great Naruto Bridge..who knows, maybe some day it'll be famous thanks to him!'_

000

Alright everyone, I got this chapter hammered out all in one day. I was really proud that I had all my notes lined up and I hit all the major points I wanted to hit before, yes, a **time skip** to the beginning of the Chunin Exam Arc! What's going to happen in the upcoming events and what roles will the upcoming characters play in our warped telling of Naruto; Assassin's Creed style?

Only time will tell.

Make sure to leave a review and vote in my favorite village poll if you get the time.

Review!

Peace.


	9. The Next Step

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 9

The Next Step

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Welcome everyone to another chapter of _Namikaze Assassin_! We have gone from Kusagakure, to Wave, and now back at home for the start of the Chunin Exams. I hope everyone is excited as I am because this arc of Naruto is full of action and fun, including the fact I can introduce a plethora of new characters as well as show how current characters are changing.

Remember that Sakura promised to step up her progress in assassin training when they returned, and since its been a good month or so since Wave, I think we can safely say she has progressed some. Because the Chunin Exams welcome all countries allied or neutral with Konoha, we can see ninja from Suna, Kusa, Ame, and many others.

And I have one last twist that will be revealed this chapter, it goes out to my fans of _Sand Maiden_. Sorry that story can't be here, but this might make it up a little.

000

_Konohagakure_

"Come on Naruto, you have to catch me!"

"Sakura! This wasn't what I had in mind for today's training-" Naruto was cut short as he narrowly dodged a rooftop clothesline and swung from a flag banner of some store in hopes to catch up with Sakura.

When he had taken her out training for some light running, he had no idea she would turn it into a parkour race. Sakura was already two buildings ahead of him when she hastily ordered him to catch her, and so the chase ensued.

Since Naruto wore his equipment on him at all times, he was significantly slower than Sakura who only wore the training robes that offered high mobility. Nonetheless, he wasn't about to be defeated by his student and picked up the pace. She was leaping over rooftops, along walls, swinging from bars, and jumping over obstacles in her way that made Naruto proud of what she had accomplished in such a short time.

_'Reminds me of when dad taught me..only this time I can do it with a girl I like. At least Sakura is enjoying herself.'_

All the while during her run, Sakura was laughing and smiling as she ran to get away from her pursuer. In a way, it felt like her training was taking shape around her; before, she would never think she could move this fast or jump that high. The limitations that once kept her from pursuing her ninja dreams escaped her as she ran in the hot summer air, shielded from the bright rays by her robe's gray hood.

Her training with Naruto had been fruitful to say the least, as soon as they arrived back from the Wave mission they began her training. She would come to his compound everyday to read from the immense assassin archives, learning both history and and herbal alchemy from the tomes of knowledge. In the afternoons, Naruto would spar with her and teach her how to use various tools like the hidden blade or throwing knife.

And in the evenings, Naruto would rest with her inside of his home's family room. Occasionally they would play a game of shogi or just talk. That's what Sakura loved the most, just staying close to Naruto. It didn't matter if they were training, walking down the street, or falling asleep next to one another; she only wanted him close to her.

"Hurry up!" She called to him, not even looking back to see him steadily catching up.

As she ran out of rooftops upon reaching the streets leading up to the village's West gate, Sakura hesitated only for a moment. That gave Naruto enough time to catch up and tackle her, forcing them both into a fall toward the ground. Within a moment, Naruto was holding Sakura like a princess and landed on the ground with a soft step.

"Baka! We could have fallen." Sakura berated him as he let her go.

"I thought I'd give you a little scare..I had it under control." He crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out in defiance, serving only to annoy the pink haired girl more.

"Hmph. I still won.." She said, taking off her hood and letting her long hair flow.

Sakura wiped some sweat from her brow and looked at Naruto in amazement. How was he not dying in those heavy robes?

"I don't know how you wear something like this all day Naruto-kun. I'm sweating so much.." Naruto made a face as if he didn't understand and shrugged.

"I guess you just get used to it, I feel fine." That statement didn't make Sakura feel any better but she let him have his opinion.

Naruto looked along the street they were on, it was deserted save for them. On either side of them was a wooden plank fence that rose above their heads, with trees on either side. If they kept walking and made a few turns, the gate would be in their view. Their plan was only for some free run training today and Naruto figured Sakura would think of something else to do.

"Well, now that your training is over with, you can do whatever Sakura. I think I will head back to the compound and find a book to read or something." She sweat dropped as he began to walk off.

_'What is with this guy sometimes..you'd figure he would want to hang out with a girl he obviously likes!'_

_**'Well don't let him get away girl, go get his ass and take him out!'**_ Inner Sakura cheered, hoping for a hands on approach.

"Naruto! Don't you want to hang out with me some more? Its still the middle of the day, too early to go home and read!" She shouted after him as he was walking away, making him turn around.

"Well..what do you want to do?" He asked, shrugging.

Sakura thought about it for a moment before snapping her fingers.

"Let's go out together and get some food!" Naruto flinched, he didn't expect Sakura to want to go out with him.

Sure they had been getting along well and the training was great, but Naruto didn't know if she liked him that way or not. Maybe this was the sign he was waiting for, but wait, had he been waiting for this?

"_**Quit being an idiot and just go. You know you like the vixen, there is no denying that."**_ Kyuubi added in as he sensed the boy's pointless hesitation.

_'Yeah..you're right Kyuubi.'_

"O-okay Sakura-chan." Naruto walked back to join her and smiled when she smiled big and blushed.

_**'Hook. Line. And sinker!'**_ Her Inner Self cheered, her first date with Naruto!

Just as she was reaching for his hand to take, he suddenly took off past her after getting a look in his eye. She turned around to see him cut through what looked to be like the wooden fence, only it wasn't but a piece of paper used as a disguise. They both looked to see three young academy students topple onto the ground in front of Naruto who was slightly embarrassed that he overreacted.

_'I thought they would be a little more..threatening.'_

"Naruto.." He looked to his side and saw Sakura standing with him, looking at the three kids. "Who are these guys?"

"I don't know..I just saw them trying to hide and thought they were up to something. Seeing them like this, it looks like they aren't much of a threat at all." Sakura giggled and patted what looked to be the leader on the head, making him look up at them and cringe.

"Hey lady, hands off! I'm not a dog okay!" She recoiled as the scarfed youngster stood up and took in her and Naruto with an evaluating eye.

His two friends crowded behind him, a bit afraid of Naruto's presence. Sakura noticed that even the leader seemed to be a bit afraid as he shook once in a while, making her giggle to herself.

"You!" The boy pointed at Naruto who only looked on in slight annoyance. "Teach me how to be like you! I saw you jumping on the roofs with this girl, show me how!"

Naruto and Sakura looked at one another and sweat dropped, this kid couldn't be serious.

"What?" Naruto asked, not understanding.

The little boy growled and jabbed a thumb into his chest, puffing it out in pride.

"I am the grandson of the Third Hokage, Konohamaru Sarutobi! I'm gonna be the greatest ninja one day, and I need to have all the best skills. It looked really cool what you guys were doing, so I want you to show me!"

Naruto sighed and Sakura didn't know what to think. Sure he had a great ambition but he was still just an academy student, he was in no shape to learn Naruto's free run; even Sakura still hadn't learned everything.

"No." The blonde said flatly and turned in the other direction, silently ushering Sakura to follow.

The girl looked at the shocked children and then back at Naruto before running to catch up with him. His stance seemed to show he was annoyed as he took heavy steps instead of his usual light and fluid motions.

"Naruto-kun, I think you were a little harsh on him. He was just admiring your skill.." Naruto looked at her and saw that she was trying to guilt trip him into apologizing.

"Sorry Sakura, I guess just something about the way he said it aggravated me." She sighed.

"He's just a kid Naruto, being the grandson of the Hokage means he is probably spoiled. He just doesn't know any better." Sakura didn't want Naruto to get so worked up over one little boy as she tried to calm him.

"Yeah I guess so-"

"Charge!" Naruto turned around and was tackled by Konohamaru who tried to take off his hood.

Sakura was joined by Konohamaru's two friends as they watched the comical display of Naruto attempting to throw Konohamaru off of him while the boy hung onto the robes for dear life. Finally, with enough strength he was able to pry the boy off of him and sent him flying back a few feet. Konohamaru tumbled and quickly got back to his feet, dusting himself off.

"Just what I would expect from my new rival, being able to repel my attack. Now teach me how!" Naruto sighed and just kept walking.

"I said no, even if I wanted to teach you, you are too young. Finish your academy training, then maybe I'll consider it." This seemed like a victory for Konohamaru as he jumped for joy and rejoined his comrades while Sakura walked over to him.

Even though he still didn't say yes to the boy, he was nice about it. Naruto blushed as Sakura just gave him an approving smile, embarrassed that he fell into her trap.

"That was nice of you Naru-kun." She prodded with his nickname.

"It was..nothing."

They proceeded on and were on their way down the street when they heard Konohamaru yell out.

"Let me go, you big bully!" Naruto and Sakura turned around and doubled back to where they last saw the kids, wondering what was going on.

They turned a corner and saw what was the problem, Konohamaru was being held up by his shirt by some guy dressed in black. His two friends cowered at a distance, asking the older boy to let him go. Naruto's eyes went straight to their headband and saw they were Suna ninja, odd that they would be here.

_'Perhaps it has something to do with the Chunin Exams father spoke of, I guess its time for them to begin.'_

"Put me down!"

"Make me, ya runt! This is what you get for running into me.." Kankuro held him up higher and smirked in satisfaction as the boy grunted in pain.

His female partner just sighed and crossed her arms, annoyed by her brother's immaturity. Messing with a Leaf kid was the last thing they needed to do upon arriving in Konoha.

"Kankuro, you're gonna regret this..let's go." He spared a glance in her direction before answering with a certain amount of haughtiness.

"Maybe Temari, but I can't just let him get away with running into me."

Naruto had heard enough and motioned to Sakura he was going to move. She nodded and prepared herself, grabbing a kunai from her thigh pouch.

With a flash step, Naruto was behind Kankuro and twisted his free arm behind his back. This made the Suna-nin cry out in pain and drop Konohamaru who was quickly picked up by Sakura and returned to his friends.

"Stay here!" She shouted and returned to where Naruto had slammed Kankuro against the fence.

Temari had no idea who was attacking her brother but she could tell he wasn't a push over. She went to grab her fan but stopped midway when a kunai was at her throat. Tilting her head, she saw a hooded Sakura glaring at her from behind, tightening her grip on the kunai.

"Do not interfere." The blonde started to weigh her options as Kankuro cried out in pain as Naruto almost popped his arm out of its socket.

"I suggest you learn some respect when you enter someone else's village. Understand?" Kankuro growled in anger despite his predicament and tried to look Naruto in the eye.

"I'm gonna make you regret that..Crow!" Naruto's eyes caught the chakra strings headed to the pack the boy had on and realized he was a puppet user, common of Suna.

Naruto kept on hand on the boy's arm while the other whipped out his hidden blade and held it close to Kankuro's neck. The puppet emerged from its wrappings and opened its mouth wide, showing a cannon aimed at Naruto's head. The Suna-nin smirked until he looked down and saw another Naruto, crouching at his feet with his hidden blade ready to strike his stomach, a lethal spot.

"Choose your next action wisely, Suna." The blonde whispered in a lightly veiled threat, making Kankuro begin to sweat.

Temari's eyes widened at the speed at which the boy created the clone, it didn't even appear as if he made any hand signs. Her brother was in trouble, but the other Leaf ninja wouldn't let her get involved. She would have to do something drastic to help Kankuro.

"Damn..it!" Kankuro felt Naruto put more pressure on his arm and was about to say he surrendered when a very soft, very _chilling_ voice called to him.

"Kankuro..I _knew_ I would find you causing trouble." Naruto and the rest looked up at the tree together to see a young girl with long red hair and darkly outlined eyes looking down at them with hidden contempt.

"G-gaara..I-" The girl scowled and he shut up instantly.

"Quiet! Or else I'll _kill you_."

"You are a disgrace to our village, remember why we came to Konoha in the first place?" Kankuro's eyes lit up in fear and he couldn't manage a response.

Naruto let go of Kankuro and backed off toward the kids who were still there, watching the battle unfold. Sakura quickly rejoined him and watched as Gaara turned her eyes toward them, sending a chill down their spines.

"Excuse them." Gaara's eyes locked with Naruto's.

_'She has this presence about her, something dark.'_

_'He was able to disarm Kankuro so easily, almost to the point of begging for mercy. This one is strong.'_

Naruto watched as she disappeared in a few tendrils of sand, reappearing in front of the other two Suna ninjas as the sand reached ground. He observed that the sand emanated from her gourd at very high speeds and realized she had the power to manipulate it.

_'That gourd must be full of sand..and I have to wonder if she could use it for offense as well?'_

Gaara turned to Temari and Kankuro who instinctively flinched. The red head shrugged and said in her usual soft voice.

"Let's go, we didn't come here to mess around." They hastily nodded and began to follow her as she walked off in the opposite direction.

"Of course Gaara."

"We know Gaara."

Sakura watched as they walked off, having a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_'Even her own team-mates were afraid of her..I wonder what makes her so dangerous?'_

"_**Kid, that girl..there is a reason why you felt so uneasy around her. Maybe you were picking up on it there for a little bit."**_ Naruto listened as Kyuubi chimed in, his uncommon serious voice taking the place of sarcasm.

_'You don't mean that..'_

"_**Yes, she too contains a tailed beast within her. Although I loathe using the word, it is my brother, Shukaku. The One-Tail beast of Suna..it seems they finally found a jinchuuriki to control him. That girl..must have a very strong bloodlust to be able to survive with him inside."**_ Naruto swallowed, it looked like she could be a tough opponent if worse came to worse.

"Naruto-kun, why are there Suna-nin here?" He woke up from his stupor and looked at Sakura who once again had her hood off, looking at him with worry.

"It must be the Chunin Exams, ninja from other villages are coming to get tested. We can expect more to arrive in the next few days I guess." She nodded, having heard a few things about it from idle conversations she picked up.

_'Apparently its a series of tests designed to see if we are ready to become Chunin, mid-level ninja. I wonder if Kakashi-sensei will tell us about it soon?'_

"Come on Sakura, you wanted lunch?" Naruto indicated she follow and soon they were walking together back into town.

Konohamaru and the gang were still a bit shaken up by the encounter and followed Naruto. Noticing their presence, he turned and looked at them.

"Hey boss, mind if we tag along? Those ninja really scared Moegi and Udon here-" He stopped when Moegi the girl bonked him on the head.

"Don't lie Konohamaru, you were scared too!" He rubbed his head and Naruto looked at Sakura.

Even though Sakura wanted to be alone with him, her caring nature got the better of her. She gave him a smile and slight nod in approval. Naruto sighed and looked at the three before indicating they follow.

"Alright, come on then." Konohamaru and the rest cheered and followed Sakura and Naruto on what was supposed to be their first date.

Instead, it became a little party with their new friends.

000

In a tree overlooking the scene where Suna met Konoha, three figures stood. Their headbands indicated they were from Otogakure, a relatively new village made in the Land of Rice Paddies. The three genin that were entering the Chunin Exam coming up had watched the events unfold and had to say they were impressed by both sides.

"That one in the white robes, he was strong." The girl, Kin, said.

Dosu, the bandaged one, grunted in acknowledgment. Although to him, it was somewhat of an understatement.

"We will have to watch out for that one, I think he is on the same team as our target right? God I can't wait to fight him.." Zaku, the most anxious one of their group, said in barely reserved glee.

"Calm down you two, you know our mission. Kill the one named Sasuke Uchiha, the other ones will only be obstacles in our way." Kin and Zaku nodded, although they didn't like the fact Dosu considered himself a leader so readily.

"We can't fail..for Orochimaru-sama."

000

_Konohagakure_

_Ninja Assembly_

Within the assembly area of the Hokage's mansion, there was a special meeting being held where all ninja Chunin and above were to be. For the most part it was the examiners and Jounin instructors that needed to be there, but many other ninja wanted to hear the biggest announcement; whether the year's latest genin class would participate.

Iruka Umino, a teacher of the latest class had come along as well with similar intentions. He wanted to make sure his students had progressed well and were in good hands. It was almost assured the Jounin would wait until the next exam in six months for their genin to begin, so he had little to worry about.

In the front stood the three Jounin instructors of the latest batch; Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi. They waited somewhat patiently for the meeting to get underway as the Hokage waited for everyone to arrive and quiet down before beginning.

"Now that we are beginning the Chunin exams, those that are in charge of the current genin squads, please step forward." The three Jounin did as asked.

"Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. Are there any genin in your squads worthy of taking the exam?" The three remained silent as the Hokage spoke, along with the rest of the audience.

"As you may already know, any genin that has completed at least eight missions is eligible for entry after receiving a recommendation from you."

"Normally, we pass genin who have received twice that amount." Iruka nodded, remembering his own exam.

_'This isn't necessary. Its obvious that none of the squads are prepared for this..the Jounin answers should be clear.'_

"That being said, let's start with Kakashi." The man straightened in stance and began to speak.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I lead Squad seven. In this squad are, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Namikaze." A buzz passed amongst some of the older Jounin and Chunin present.

"_A Namikaze?"_

"_One is still alive?"_

"_I can't believe Kakashi was teaching one all along!"_

"_An assassin, can we trust he will even take the test?"_

"Silence!" The Hokage ordered, indicating Kakashi continue.

"I recommend all three of these genin to take the test under my name." Iruka's eyes widened, he was letting them take the test this early?

Kurenai spoke next.

"As Kurenai Yuuhi, I lead Squad eight. In this squad are, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. I recommend all three to take the exam."

"And I am Sarutobi Asuma, leader of Squad ten. In this squad are, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi. I recommend all three to take the exam."

Whispers returned as the surprise of all three teams getting selected spread.

"_All three? That hasn't happened in five years!"_

"_These Jounin either have a lot of confidence in their students, or they are trying to flunk them!"_

The Hokage hummed to himself in thought, this was an interesting yet expected turn of events. He watched as Iruka stepped forward in disagreement.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama, but I must disagree with what has been said here!" The Jounin turned to look at the man as he spoke.

"Almost all of the names called were students of mine at the academy, I know their skills and abilities well. All have great potential, but they are not ready for these tests yet!"

Kakashi turned toward him and spoke in his usual lazy drawl, annoying Iruka.

"I was only six when I became a Chunin."

"These kids are nothing like you Kakashi!" Iruka responded in anger. "Do you want to ruin them?"

The man shrugged.

"They are always asking for tougher missions, perhaps this will show them what real difficulty is. Having them flunk would be interesting to see too." Iruka growled and stepped forward.

"What did you say?" Kakashi again shrugged.

"It was just a joke, Iruka-sensei." The honorific was used to belittle him.

"Kakashi, stop this." Kurenai said, not wishing to bring more conflict between them.

"On the contrary Kurenai, Iruka needs to know he isn't in charge of them anymore. Sakura and Sasuke are my subordinates now." He glared at Kakashi but couldn't find words to answer.

"Iruka, I understand your argument." The Hokage interjected, making attention turn to him again.

"Hokage-sama.." Iruka was hoping he would side with him.

"However, what Kakashi says is true, they are now his students as well as Kurenai and Asuma's. I believe if you would just see them, you could notice their subtle improvements too."

Iruka's eyes widened, could they change so much in such a short time?

"Hokage-sama, excuse my intrusion." Eyes turned toward Hayama Shirakumo, an aging Jounin that served during the Third Shinobi War.

His insight was often well received among other shinobi of the village and he rarely spoke up at meetings. Whatever he had to say, it must have been important.

"Yes Hayama, go ahead." With permission from the Hokage, he stepped forward next to where Iruka was.

"I would like to argue the point of allowing the Namikaze of entering the exam. I argue this because of the danger he could be to the village if allowed to continue his ninja training." The others began whisper things as well while the Hokage listened to what the man had to say.

"Hokage-sama, how do we even know if it will challenge him? He was brought up in assassin training and therefore we cannot be assured his abilities will be tested in the ways they should. What if he passes but refuses to continue serving the village?" This got people talking but most of all it annoyed Kakashi.

_'He obviously doesn't respect the Namikaze very much. I can't say I know Naruto's intentions any better than him, but putting faith in someone is better than doubt.'_

"Hmm. I respect what you say Hayama, and I know that many are still wary of the conflict with the Namikaze. I still defer to Kakashi's decision, he has been with Naruto for the past few months and should know him better than any here." The silver haired Jounin bowed in acknowledgment.

"I would also like to remind all of you, that the Yondaime too was an assassin. Not only did he become a Jounin of this village, but he also led his clan as an assassin. I have every confidence that Naruto Namikaze can do the same." This quieted everyone down as they remembered the Fourth, one of the greatest Kage they had during his time.

Hayama bowed in defeat and fell back into the rest of the ninja assembled.

"This meeting is adjourned. Jounin, dismiss your invitations to your genin as soon as possible. Iruka, come with me to my office to further discuss your predicament." Iruka stumbled and quickly began to follow.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

000

_Konohagakure_

_Team 7 Meeting Place_

Again, the three genin assembled and waited for their teacher at their usual spot on the red bridge near their training grounds. Naruto and Sakura had arrived together and Sasuke was surprised at her new style. He had on occasion seen her wear the robes when she and Naruto would train together, but he had no idea she liked them so much.

They had just come from Naruto's compound after doing some early morning reading, but had come purposely late because they knew Kakashi wasn't one to arrive on time.

In a puff of smoke, all three looked up to see their teacher standing on a nearby archway, waving down at them.

"Yo."

Sasuke growled.

"You're late." The Jounin sweat dropped and shrugged.

"I guess I got lost on the road of life, you know how it is." The assassin duo remained quiet, just waiting for him to speak.

Kakashi locked eyes with Sakura's new outfit and whistled in approval.

"Sakura, it seems you have been training with Naruto. Picking up his fashion I see." Sakura blushed a bit and shrugged.

"Its just a training robe Kakashi-sensei, Naruto-kun says that I will get a robe like his later when my training is done." Kakashi just nodded, it seemed she had gotten serious after all.

_'Good for her and good for Naruto..although it does sting me a bit that she is not learning from me.'_

Sasuke tapped his foot impatiently.

"Get on with it Kakashi, what do you want?" The Jounin hopped down and handed each of them a card.

"This is your invitation to take part in the Chunin exams, so keep track of it. If you want to take part, sign the card and take it with you to the academy five days from now. The first exam is held there."

His eyes turned to Naruto as all three were examining the piece of paper.

"Naruto, as you may know since you are a Namikaze, you technically don't have to take the exam. As per the binding contracts set at the Founding of Konoha, no one can force you to become a Chunin." The blonde nodded and placed the card in his pocket.

"Don't make your decision suddenly, I want you all to go home and think about the risks and rewards of becoming a Chunin before you sign. We'll have our next team meeting after the exams are concluded. Good luck you three." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving them to go their own way.

Sasuke walked off first, not bothering to say bye. Naruto started to walk in the direction of his compound and Sakura tagged along.

"Naruto, is it okay if I come with?" He looked at her and smiled.

"Of course Sakura-chan, my home is your home."

000

The two entered Naruto's clan home, walking into the living area to sit. It was quiet for a while as they both rested their cards on the small table in front of them, Naruto on one side with Sakura on the other. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, both took their hoods off so they could see one another clearly.

"So Naruto..what are you going to do?" She asked hesitantly, playing with her gloved fingers.

Sakura was worried Naruto would leave her behind, she would take the exam while he refused. He was an assassin after all and didn't have to take the exam. But without him..Sakura's heart ached to think how she could carry on without him by her side during the exam.

Naruto sighed, thinking it over.

"I will probably take part, I'll follow my father's footsteps and become just as strong of a ninja as I am an assassin. If I become a Chunin, then I can promote myself to Journeyman rank of assassins." Sakura's heart almost jumped, he would take part?

"You..really mean it Naruto-kun?" Naruto realized her insecurity and smiled, making her smile too.

"Of course Sakura, I'm not going to leave you." Sakura got up from her seat and sat next to him, making him blush.

"I'm happy, Naru-kun." She leaned on him and intertwined their fingers, holding his hand tight.

"W-what about you Sakura?" He asked back, with a bit of a stutter.

"Of course I will participate. I need to put the skills you have taught me to good use so maybe I can become a Chunin too." Naruto smiled as she leaned further onto his shoulder.

They shared a moment of quiet before Naruto tightened his grip on her hand.

"There is something I want to give you Sakura, come with me." The girl followed, blushing as Naruto kept his hand with hers the entire time.

They went into a room Sakura hadn't seen before, and her eyes widened in amazement. The room was like an armory, filled with swords and armor and so many different robes of an assassin. Naruto let go of her hand to go grab something and she could only stand in the doorway, overwhelmed.

"Here it is. Sakura, come here." She looked at Naruto and saw him holding something for her and quickly joined him.

"I want you to have this, it will help you in the exam." Upon realization of what it was, Sakura gasped.

"M-my own blade gauntlet?" He nodded and began to help her fit on the leather braces to strap it to her forearm.

_'Naruto said that this was an assassin's most treasured weapon and tool..now that he is giving me one, does that mean he considers me an assassin too?'_

"Thank you Naruto..I don't know what to say."

Naruto just smiled.

Sakura, betraying her own nervousness, did what she felt was right. Leaning in, her lips crashed against Naruto's in what would be their first real kiss. The blonde was so stunned, he couldn't even wrap his arms around her for the kiss that lasted for what felt like an hour. It was innocent and sweet, both a 'thank you' and an 'I love you'.

After seeing Naruto's dazed and confused look afterward, Sakura did not regret her choice and giggled.

_'Oh Naruto, so sweet.'_

000

_Konohagakure_

_Sakura's Home_

Sakura had just finished putting on her robes in preparation for the new day. It was time for them to begin with the Chunin exam at the academy, so Sakura had to prepare immediately. She already had all her ninja equipment on and with her robes ready she was set to go.

A knock on her sliding glass door mader her look outside to see Naruto waving at her.

"Sakura-chan, are you ready?"

"Yes Naruto! Give me a second." Sakura opened her door that revealed the rest of her house's upstairs.

"Mom! I'm going out!" Her mother called in return.

"Good luck sweetie!"

Sakura ran back to the sliding door and opened it, stepping out onto her balcony. The two shared a quick embrace before Sakura spoke.

"Naruto, are we heading to the academy?" He shook his head and indicate she follow as he leaped from her balcony and began to free run off toward the market district.

"We need to make a stop first, to get you equipped!" He shouted back as she soon began to catch up.

People looked up from the streets and saw them swinging and jumping after one another. Some shook their heads in disbelief while others were wowed by their skill.

"Equipped? But I have all my ninja gear!"

Naruto laughed and shouted back.

"I mean your assassin gear!"

Sakura's eyes widened, just where was he taking her?

000

Upon arrival in the Shimizu store, Naruto quickly introduced Sakura to Ai and Kaito. She was surprised when they bowed to her and Naruto whispered they must have thought she was an assassin too.

"Its nice to meet you Haruno-san." Ai said and Sakura said the same.

"As to you, Shimizu-san."

Naruto sensed some sort of tense relations between the girls but ignored it.

"Kaito-san, I need Sakura outfitted with similar equipment as myself. She only needs a few throwing knives though, the thing I want most for her to carry is poison and healing salves." The old man bowed and went into the back while the three young ones stood with one another.

Sakura and Ai were in the middle of a staring contest when Naruto snapped his fingers in remembrance. He took out a scroll and took out its contents, a leather vest for Sakura. Not only did it provide protection, but like Naruto's, it had room for her knives and vials to be held. To get away from the girl, Sakura readily allowed Naruto to help her put it on, making Ai even more jealous.

_'Oh, so it seems she does like Naruto-kun too. Too bad he's mine.'_

_'Who does Sakura think she is? I am a loyal servant of the Namikaze, she has no right!'_

"There you go Sakura-chan, its easy to put on. See?" She looked over herself and saw the vest fit well, smiling at Naruto.

"Thanks Naruto." She kissed him on the cheek for good measure.

Ai barely held herself back as her father entered with what Naruto requested. Sakura quickly began placing the items on the vest or in her robes as Naruto instructed. As a healer, it was her job to be the support of the squad and help any fallen member. If it came to her fighting though, Sakura was quite equipped to take down anyone with her poison and hidden blade combo.

"Thank you Kaito-san." Naruto said as he handed over the payment.

Kaito smiled.

"No, thank you Naruto-sama. Its good to see you are training more assassins, the Namikaze will be back to their original strength in no time. Take good care of him, Sakura-dono." She blushed at the honorific and bowed.

"I will Kaito-san, thank you." Naruto indicated she make use of the crawlspace exit as he waved goodbye.

"See you after the exams Kaito, and Ai." The duo left together and Ai was fuming.

_'I'm not done yet, Haruno Sakura.'_

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy_

Naruto and Sakura quickly arrived at the academy to find people still filing in. Sasuke was off to the side, impatiently waiting for them to arrive. Upon seeing them land from the rooftops, he started to walk in and Naruto said they should follow along. Sakura stuck close to the blonde as many were staring at them, no doubt because of their odd look.

"_What are they supposed to be?"_

"_Are they really from Konoha?"_

"_I heard that's what the assassins used to wear!"_

Naruto ignored them and walked up the flight of stairs to the second floor where they had to cross until arriving at the third for the first exam. A gathering of ninja at some door made them stop to check out what was going on. Two rather well equipped ninja, and by the looks of their age also genin, were stopping anyone who tried to enter the door.

Naruto checked the number and realized they placed a genjutsu over it, making it look as though they were on the third floor. He glanced at Sakura and noticed her eying the door number as well, silently glad she caught it. Even though they were guarding what was probably an empty room, most of the genin seemed to have fallen for it.

_'Might as well play along and see if I can get these guys to admit their mistake.'_

As he walked up, a boy in a green jumpsuit was punched away from the door. He landed in a heap and looked back up at the ninja as they snickered at his expense.

"_You_ want to become a Chunin? With that kind of power?" One said in a mocking tone.

"You don't have what it takes for this exam. Why don't you just go home where you belong." The other said in an equally haughty voice.

A girl was with the jumpsuit kid and stood up in defiance.

"Please let us through, we need to take the exam soon-" She too was punched and forced back, holding her face.

The crowd gasped as he hit the girl.

"_That was harsh."_

"You think that's harsh, you have no idea what's waiting for you in these exams. People die doing this ya know?" When he said that, a few genin looked at one another in fear.

Naruto walked up and looked at either one of them, Sakura and Sasuke were behind him.

"Drop the genjutsu and get out of my way." The one using his headband for a bandanna smirked.

"So you saw through the genjutsu, not bad." The sign returned back to the usual _201_ number and the genin began to talk about they didn't notice it before.

"That's fine, but let's see you beat this!" The bandaged one said, sending a kick at Naruto who responded by sending a punch of his own.

_'This guy is too slow, I can beat him easy-'_ Naruto sensed an incoming presence as the green jumpsuit kid jumped between them and grabbed his kick and tried to grapple Naruto's wrist.

He was able to break his hold but was astounded at the kid's speed, he hadn't even seen him coming. Lee looked at Naruto and met his eyes, as he must have been surprised that the blonde could break his grapple. Sakura was surprised that he was able to match Naruto's speed but kept herself in control as Naruto wasn't in trouble.

_'That is some chakra he has in his arms, to hold back the kick.'_

"Save it for the exams, you two." The kid said before releasing the guard's leg allowing the two to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"Hey Lee, what's the big idea? You were the one that said to hide our abilities, right?" Naruto observed another boy, a Hyuuga, walk up and scold Lee with the girl.

"I know but.." He didn't seem to have an answer but glanced toward Sakura; Neji quickly turned his attention to Naruto.

"You, what's your name? I haven't seen you before." Naruto shrugged.

"I'm a Namikaze, Naruto Namikaze." Eyes widened upon hearing that, a Namikaze?

"I see there are still some of you left, good, it will provide a good challenge." Sasuke growled and stepped forward.

"And what's your name, Hyuuga?" Neji looked back at Sasuke and shrugged.

"I already know who you are Sasuke Uchiha, but I'll indulge you regardless. I'm Neji, this is Tenten, and that's Rock Lee."

Tenten gave a little wave and Lee looked at their team and saw Naruto conversing with Sakura. He watched as she took off her hood and revealed her long and flowing pink hair, which made Lee instantly blush.

_'Beautiful!'_

"Mmm, another hot day Naruto-kun. I'll have to keep my hood off for a while." Naruto nodded and was about to say they should go when the jumpsuit kid appeared next to them.

Sakura looked and saw him staring at her, uncomfortably so. She grimaced as she didn't exactly find the notion of him looking at her so intently a good thing, nor did she find him attractive.

"You must be Sakura-san, right?" She looked confused.

"What?" He took that as a yes and gave her a big grin and a thumbs up.

"My name is Rock Lee, please be my girlfriend. I will protect you until I die!" Sakura sweat dropped.

"No way." Lee's disposition took a turn for the worse and he frowned.

"Why?"

"Because you're weird."

"WHAT?" Lee began to bawl his eyes out as Sakura took Naruto's hand in hers.

"Besides, I'm taken." Naruto blushed as Sakura leaned against him, making everyone look.

"S-sakura-chan, everyone is watching." She didn't seem to mind as she blushed and smiled.

Lee leaned up against the wall and had to take a moment to steady himself.

"_I'm..weird?"_

"Come on Naruto-kun, Sasuke, let's get going!" Sakura led Naruto along by the arm while Sasuke reluctantly followed.

Neji and Tenten quickly gathered up Lee and brought him along too while the other genin began to file out.

The two guards watched as the teams left from a darkened room and smiled to themselves.

"So those are the genin that Kakashi and Guy are bragging about."

"And the Namikaze, he looked pretty tough."

"This year's exam might be pretty interesting after all, at least for us." They snickered before dispersing their transformation jutsu, returning to their older selves.

It was time for the first exam to begin and for the genin to endure.

000

Alright, the chapter is complete! Next chapter will detail Rock Lee's challenge, the first exam, clues of Orochimaru's arrival, and the start of the second exam. Tell me what you thought about female Gaara in your reviews and I also hoped you all liked Sakura and Naruto's interactions with one another.

Review.

See ya next time!


	10. The First Exam

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 10

The First Exam

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

What's up guys, time for another chapter of _Namikaze Assassin_, my take on the Naruto world having their own Assassin's Creed presence and how it would play out. In our last chapter, we saw Naruto and his rapidly learning apprentice Sakura encounter the presence of the Chunin Exams first hand with the arrival of the Suna Siblings.

Tensions were high until they were suddenly defused by the cold presence of Gaara, a twisted girl with a terrifying beast within. Soon after, Squad Seven was officially invited to join in the Exams and all three accepted, to further push their own developing skills. Naruto and Sakura's relationship was made clear at the location of the first exam where another genin, Rock Lee, was immediately rebuked after asking her out on a date.

Sasuke's jealousy of Naruto's ability only serves to grow as he sees even Sakura begin to surpass him. How long will it be before this boils over into open conflict?

Even Orochimaru would not sit idle for such an important event in the ninja world and his agents are already on the move, how will they react to the Namikaze's presence?

I guess you will have to find out!

I also saw that it was quite divided over the fact of Gaara being a girl, as I know many readers here were not readers of my old story _Sand Maiden_ where I also changed Gaara's gender. I know from my experience in _Blonde Uchiha_ that changing a gender can make a character very different, but I'm confident that Gaara will still be the same antagonist he was in the manga.

Consider her a possibility for the harem too, to get your imagination rolling, even if it won't happen for quite some time. For those of you who don't mind a character having a gender change or enjoyed it, well congratulations to you for not being so stubborn.

Now onto the show!

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy_

_Hall_

Tenten and Neji watched as the rookies left, both left thinking they had some potential to be trouble. Neji, always the prideful one, quickly dropped the thought and knew he would be the only worthy one to win. The Namikaze may seem tough but it was clear that the victor had already been decided through destiny. The assassins were a dying breed while the Hyuuga merely gained more strength each passing generation.

_'Naruto Namikaze huh?'_

Tenten saw that smirk on Neji's face and sighed, realizing that once again he lost any thought of being challenged in skill.

_'I hope that Naruto makes it far enough to fight Neji, it will be entertaining to watch. Even better if either one can knock the arrogance out of each other.'_

The genin around them soon began to follow in the direction of Team 7, indicating that the drama had passed. It was almost time for the first exam to start, and it would not do for them to be late. Neji began to walk along with Tenten as Lee continued to stare in the direction Sakura had left. They turned to face him when he did not tag along.

"Lee, let's go." Neji stated with some impatience.

"Yeah, we are going to be late if we don't go now!" Tenten urged.

Lee just sighed and shook his head.

"There is something I need to investigate, I will catch up with you soon." And without any explanation, the Taijutsu fighter left them alone.

Tenten began to fidget in nervousness, already they had lost a team-mate before the exam started. What if they disqualified them when Lee didn't show up on time? This was not good!

"Let's get going Tenten. No sense sitting here for him to return." She turned to see Neji already walking away and she struggled to catch up.

"But Neji.." She argued. "If we just let him wander off, who knows what trouble he might get into! Especially with an Uchiha and Namikaze around.."

He just looked at her and shrugged.

"Lee may not be the brightest, but he wouldn't do anything stupid to get himself disqualified. Besides, it would be a hassle to go track him down and bring him along. Just let him do what he needs to do."

Sighing in defeat, Tenten let it slide. She vowed to never forgive Lee if he didn't come back on time though, she could not afford to miss her first Chunin exam!

_'Lee, you better hurry up unless you wanna die!'_

Neji could feel the killer intent of his team-mate and just shook his head. Those two gave him more of a headache than their sensei could.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy_

_Training Halls_

Although Sakura had been quick to defuse the situation between the two squads, she had pulled Naruto and Sasuke off in what looked to be the wrong direction. They were now in the training rooms, far off from the classrooms where they were supposed to go for the exams. In embarrassment, she hadn't told either of them this and continued to walk on, hoping to find a way back on track.

"Sakura, how much longer are you going to walk us in the wrong direction?" She stopped after hearing Naruto blatantly call her out, much to her chagrin.

"Uhm..I don't know what you mean Naruto-kun." She watched him walk ahead of her and look around for a second.

"I'm pretty sure we should be headed for the classrooms, not the training dojo or the track right? You went to this school, I figured you knew the way you were going."

She blushed and Sasuke had the right mind not to say anything, lest he be considered in the same boat.

"Well, you see, I uh..thought I would show you around where we went to school. Yeah, that sounds about right." She smiled and gave an awkward chuckle, trying to cover her mistake.

Naruto didn't seem to mind either way.

"We should probably get going in the right direction though, in case we are late. Why don't we-"

"Hey you! In the robes." All three looked up at the balcony above to see Rock Lee staring down at them, specifically Naruto.

The one he meant to call out remained silent, waiting to see what he wanted.

Sakura just shook her head and hit her forehead in disbelief. What was this weirdo doing here?

Sasuke growled, why was he after Naruto when there was an Uchiha right in front of him to challenge.

"Hey!" Lee jumped off of the balcony and landed with grace on their level, standing up in a relaxed stance. "I'm talking to you, Namikaze."

Naruto just locked eyes with him, returning his fiery gaze with a bored stare.

"What do you want?" He asked simply as if he was not interested with this ninja in the slightest.

Lee almost came unnerved with how little Naruto seemed to care but quickly recovered. He would just have to show him the error of his ways, counting him out so easily.

"I, Rock Lee, have come to challenge you. A fight, here and now."

Sakura looked at Lee in disbelief and back at Naruto, not knowing what would happen. It was obvious that Naruto didn't take him seriously, but even she had to admit there was something to Lee that made him stronger than an average genin. If anything, it was obvious his taijutsu was above average.

But Naruto didn't seem concerned in the slightest.

"Are you a fool? This is the Chunin Exam, not some backyard brawl. I have no time to deal with you in an unofficial match at a time like this." Lee grimaced but did not seem to let up as he entered a taijutsu stance.

"Our speed is unmatched by any other genin here, so you should be able to figure out this battle will not be long either way. Besides, its not a fight to the death, just a test of strength. Also.." Lee took his eyes away from Naruto to look at Sakura who, until that point been trying to hide beneath her hood.

"Oh Sakura, your beauty is too much for words." The girl seemed to shrink at his attempt to woo her.

"When you denied me the first time, it impaled my heart like an arrow. But by defeating this precious Naruto of yours, I will show that I am the only man worthy of you!" Sakura just shook her head in disbelief.

"You can't beat Naruto..even if you were stronger, I know my feelings for him won't change. So don't even think about it!"

Naruto smirked and took a few steps forward, separating Lee from seeing Sakura.

"Don't worry Sakura, you don't have to prove your point to him. I will show him why the name Namikaze is spoken in fear by those who dare say it."

Lee smirked, his plan to goad Naruto into fighting seemed to have worked. Although, it also proved the point that those two cared about each other, and perhaps meant that Lee was out of his league with the pink haired girl.

_'No matter!'_ He shook his head free of such thoughts, he would show that his training was not for nothing.

Naruto remembered their first encounter and how he had moved to grapple his wrist, almost succeeding. His speed was good and his body was well conditioned for damage, not to mention his taijutsu stance was not something he had seen before.

His advantage would be his own speed and his paralyzing poison to end the fight; an assassin could never go all out unless they were allowed to kill their opponent.

"Hold it right there!" Everyone turned to see Sasuke walk forward, shaking in rage.

"How dare you ignore an Uchiha as an opponent! I'll show you why I'm superior to you or Naruto!" Lee looked at Sasuke with something between disgust and disappointment.

"My fight is not with you Uchiha, it is with the assassin." Sasuke growled and charged forward, not bothering to listen.

Naruto did nothing to stop him, as he didn't care either way. Sakura wished Sasuke could pick his battles better or at the very least calm his temper, but it didn't seem possible. He had gotten worse ever since Naruto had come onto their team, and she wondered if he was feeling insecure in comparison.

_'They are both from two totally different clans..he can't compare their strengths and weaknesses so simply, can he?'_

Lee allowed Sasuke to charge forward, not bothering to change his stance. When he launched his first punch, Lee's hand followed his fist and with just his pointer finger, deflected the attack. Sasuke used his hands as leverage and sent a kick for Lee's face, only for him to lean back and dodge it.

_'Damn him! He's toying with me.'_

"You are too slow Uchiha, that is your weakness." Lee sent an unforgiving kick to Sasuke's abdomen as he was trying to stand up, launching him across the room into a heap.

Naruto and Sakura watched as he squirmed on the ground, attempting to recover. Naruto found it somewhat embarrassing, to talk so haughtily about himself and his clan yet allowing himself to be laid low by someone like this. Sakura felt a pang of sadness in her heart for Sasuke, he was trying so hard to be acknowledged and become stronger that he was getting more and more arrogant.

_'Sasuke..is this really who you were in the Academy?'_

_'Is that all the Uchiha can do?'_ Naruto thought as the boy struggled to get up, looking first at Lee who had his eyes still fixated on Naruto.

His eyes switched to Naruto, and he saw the look of disdain the blonde was giving him. It made his blood boil to think that a Namikaze was looking down on an Uchiha. How dare he even think that he was better!

"Damn you Naruto!" He revealed his incomplete Sharingan and charged the robed shinobi, intent on wiping that look from his face.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing, their own team-mate was attacking Naruto!

"Sasuke! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

Lee noticed too and took a step forward to stop the Uchiha, but realized that it wasn't necessary.

Sasuke's eyes tracked Naruto's next move but he couldn't keep up with the blonde's speed. The assassin leaped forward and sent a strong punch right into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to black out.

Naruto looked down at Sasuke as he fell asleep, feeling a slight bit of remorse for the Uchiha.

_'If things had turned out differently..I may have been the same way.'_

"_...Sorry Sasuke." _He whispered before facing Lee who had been watching the whole time.

_'His speed is as I thought, incredible. It must be a specialty of his clan which I unfortunately know very little about. I will enjoy learning more about them through combat.'_

"Ready now Naruto?" Lee asked and only received a scowl from the blonde.

Sakura looked at the clock and saw they only had twenty minutes. That didn't leave them with a lot of time to finish the fight and make it to the classroom.

"Naruto-kun, we don't have time for this. Please, let's just go-"

"I'm sorry Sakura, but this won't take long."

She was rebuked by Naruto as he prepared to fight, and so all she could do was pick up Sasuke and move him to the sidelines with her.

_'Please Naruto..hurry.'_

With a flash step, Naruto disappeared and Lee's eyes widened. This was much more than he was expecting for the start of the battle, the speed was so much he couldn't even see.

_'How could he hide this much strength!'_

Naruto appeared in front of Lee ready to attack, but disappeared as he sent a kick to dispatch him. Realizing the trick, Lee turned around only to get punched in the face by Naruto. As he stumbled back, another clone appeared beneath him and sent a kick for his chin.

Lee was just barely able to block before Naruto disappeared again, forcing him to look all around the battlefield for him.

_'That punch..he wasn't holding back.'_ Lee grimaced in pain.

Sakura was astounded by the skill Naruto was showing, even she had only seen him this fast a few times. He definitely wanted to end the battle quickly, but maybe he was trying to prove a point.

Lee twisted around and caught Naruto's wrist as he prepared to launch another attack, but he disappeared. Another Naruto appeared from behind and sent a kick for the back of his head, but Lee was quicker. Their two attacks met, both using one leg to steady themselves as their attacks canceled one another.

"You are fast, a natural talent. You also know to observe a person's usual blind spots, traits that are exhibited only in the heat of battle." Naruto jumped away, allowing Lee to take a moment to analyze the attacks.

"There is something majorly different about us though. You were born with your talent while I have had to train my whole life to get to where I am today." Naruto said nothing, he felt no sympathy for the kid if he could mistake natural talent for life's training.

"You know nothing about me or what I've had to do to learn these skills. My entire life is devoted to one purpose; perfecting the art of assassination. Fools like you who do not appreciate anything but a clan name do not deserve to be called shinobi." Lee was shocked, could he have been mistaken?

_'I thought Naruto's popularity came only from his name..that his family pampered him with training and jutsu that no one else could hope to learn. Perhaps he too worked hard to be where he is right now.'_

Sakura lost some respect for Lee, as what Naruto said was true. It wasn't a person's clan that made them strong, it was their own dedication that made them who they were.

"Its true that many consider me not a shinobi, but not for that reason." Lee regained his stance, wiping off the dirt Naruto's punch had left on his cheek. "I can only use taijutsu and have no ability in ninjutsu nor genjutsu. I have dedicated my life to proving those people who consider me weak, wrong."

_'Only taijutsu? So that means..this entire time he has kept up with Naruto because of just taijutsu?'_ Sakura was surprised but Naruto didn't seem to be.

"So? You expect me to feel pity or perhaps approve of your skill? Don't listen to those who would call you weak or wrong, be your own person. If your goal is to prove them wrong, then start by showing me you are better than just some fool." Lee frowned and charged forward, disappearing like Naruto.

"My pleasure." Appearing beneath him, Lee kicked Naruto into the air and appeared beneath him.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow." Naruto said, knowing the taijutsu move from his books.

Lee smirked.

"You are correct, allow me to prove to you my skill." He began to unfurl his bandages but became unnerved when Naruto looked down at him with a smirk.

"And allow me to show you why I am more than just a Namikaze." He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Lee to sail through the air alone.

_'How did he?-'_

Another Naruto appeared above him and sent a devastating axe kick down on his stomach, sending Lee flying into the ground. The blonde quickly grabbed him and put him in a choke hold, one arm holding him while the other had his hidden blade to the boy's neck. In his defense, Lee was putting a considerable amount of strength into one hand that was fighting Naruto's hold on him, and his bandages were tangled around his blade arm trying to pull it back.

Their stalemate ended when a loud voice echoed through the room. It made Sakura break eye contact from the fight and forced Sasuke to wake up.

"Lee! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Upon seeing the source of the voice, Lee quickly broke free from Naruto and knelt in front of the large turtle summon. This gave Sakura her chance as she ran over to join Naruto, checking on him. Other than being a little tired from using the kage bunshin, he seemed to be ok.

"Are you alright Naruto?" Taking a few deep breaths, he looked at Sakura and saw the concern.

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine. Let's grab Sasuke and get out of here.." She was glad he agreed and helped him up before walking over to retrieve Sasuke.

"You were watching us the whole time?" Lee asked, reluctant to hear the answer.

"Of course I was, you know that last technique is forbidden to use! Why would you bring something like that out in a practice match?" Lee winced at his master's yelling and tried to explain.

"Ah, I'm sorry sensei! You see I was just trying to show my strength to the Namikaze, I mean didn't you see him, he was stronger than almost anyone I've ever faced. Even Neji-"

"Bah! That's no excuse you numskull!"

"You're a disgrace!"

Naruto and the others looked to see Lee get chewed out by the summon, not understanding the context. Apparently that last attack was something he was supposed to use only in an emergency.

"What do you think Naruto? Was his last attack really that strong to be forbidden?" Naruto thought back to how he got launched up into the air and about the technique.

"It could be very powerful if I hadn't have escaped it. Its pretty difficult to do so though because the kick that starts it not only launches you into the air but makes it difficult for you to focus. Luckily I've gotten better with my kage bunshins to be able to substitute myself with one without hand signs."

Sakura smiled, that was her Naruto. She knew he wouldn't be defeated so easily by Lee, no matter how hard he tried.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with veiled anger, he had made a fool out of him again! His attack didn't even connect before Naruto had knocked him unconscious, making him look even weaker. The thought of being defeated by the Namikaze was made all the more worse that someone like Lee could also easily deflect him.

_'There is no way I'm this weak! Damn you Naruto..'_

"Revealing your techniques is one of the most obvious things a ninja is NOT supposed to do!"

"Sorry sir." Lee did not have any excuse and was merely waiting for punishment.

"Come out then, Gai-sensei!" A puff of smoke revealed the appearance of Lee's real teacher, a Jounin that looked surprisingly exactly like him.

Sakura and Sasuke sweat dropped while Naruto watched with little interest.

"What's up Lee?" Gai asked, giving a bright smile and thumbs up to the suddenly cheerful student.

"Gai-sensei!" His smile quickly turned to anger and he wound up his fist.

"Now for your punishment!" He hit Lee, sending him flying back. "You fool!"

Team Seven was once again surprised with such an odd and physical way to discipline a student, but said nothing in astonishment.

Lee slowly got up as Gai approached him, both all of a sudden crying.

"Lee...its over."

"Gai-sensei, I'm..so sorry!" Gai got on his knee as Lee began to get up.

"Don't..worry about it Lee. I'm sorry too! But it had to be done." It was as if they were really crying after the whole ordeal as their tears fell and sobs stopped them from speaking.

Naruto huffed and turned to leave, he had seen enough of these two idiots. Sakura and Sasuke didn't move to leave until they noticed Naruto was already a ways ahead of them.

"Naruto-kun! Wait up!"

The two others in the room didn't seem to notice as they mumbled about laps around the track and 'running into the sunset.'

000

Naruto and the squad walked through the halls to their destination, an awkward silence had fallen over them. Sasuke was still brooding over his embarrassing defeat by Lee and Naruto while Sakura just wanted to stay out of it and hoped they would make it on time.

"Oh Sasuke, before we get to the room. There is one thing you need to know.." Naruto made them all stop as he spoke to the Uchiha, not bothering to face him.

"What's that?" Sasuke said with as much strength as he could muster.

"If you ever try and attack me again.." Naruto turned around and glared at Sasuke, his eyes flashed red. _"I won't hold back. Understand?"_

He left little room to argue.

Sasuke was visibly shaken but just shrugged and walked past them. It left Sakura worried about their team cohesion but left Naruto oddly satisfied.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy_

_Assembly Room_

The three genin came to a stop at the examinee meeting room, coming face to face with a familiar person. Kakashi stood between them and the start of their first exam, his analyzing gaze kept them from moving further.

"Sakura..good to see you chose to show up after all. This wouldn't have had a happy ending if you didn't." She seemed confused, why her?

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" He sighed.

"If you had chosen not to come because of your own insecurities on your ability, then I would have to disqualify these two." Surprise came over their faces.

"You see, only squads of three are allowed to enter the Chunin Exam. Its always been this way, a tradition I guess you could say but also a requirement."

"But its a moot point, you are all here now for the right reasons. I'm proud." They all smiled, this was one of the few times Kakashi showed them praise.

"We won't let you down Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted, excited to start.

He chuckled and moved out of their way, allowing them to pass through the door. It seemed like they really had changed since they first came together as a team, maybe they were really ready for the exam.

_'I guess we will see.'_

000

As soon as they entered, all eyes were on the new arrivals. Shinobi, most older than them, from all around the world watched as Squad Seven entered the building. Naruto remained calm under their stares, as did Sasuke, although he aggressively returned them.

Sakura seemed to be a bit shaken up, but Naruto quickly came to her side and whispered in her ear.

"_Just put on your hood Sakura and ignore them, they wouldn't bother to cause trouble."_

She quickly pulled on her hood and followed Naruto to the wall, where they decided to wait. Sasuke kept his distance but was quickly assaulted from behind by some blonde girl.

"Oh Sasuke, I've been waiting for you to show up! I knew you'd make it just fine." He scowled but made no move to remove the girl from his back, just waiting for her to leave.

Naruto watched from under his hood as her team-mates arrived, bearing the Leaf symbol too. They didn't really seemed to enthused to be here; one was staring off into space while the other was eating a bag of potato chips. Sakura remained quiet, trying to ignore her old rival and friend until she loudly said her name.

"So where is forehead-, I mean Sakura." She giggled at her own joke, waiting for Sakura's usual angry outburst to announce her.

Naruto grabbed her hand as it shook with anger and calmed her. Being the first time the girl was able to resist Ino's teasing, the blonde was confused. She spotted the two leaning against the wall and saw their leaf headbands across their chests, but otherwise didn't know who they were. It even seemed as if she was afraid of Naruto and Sakura.

"I'm right here Ino." Naruto was a bit surprised Sakura spoke up, but she couldn't hide from her old friend forever.

The blonde looked at the hooded figure and recognized the pink hair from beneath. Everyone realized it was Sakura at this point and was surprised by her new outfit, along with her companion.

"Sakura..is that really you?" The girl nodded and received a stifled laugh from Ino.

"What's with those clothes? Did you finally crack-" Ino shut up when Naruto was in front of her with his blade to her neck, making her shut up.

Sasuke and the others watched, frozen in terror to see what would happen next.

"What were you saying about my clan's clothing?" Ino swallowed, she didn't know who he was but it was obvious he didn't play around.

"N-nothing..nothing at all. Right Sakura?" She begged her friend to help who, even though she enjoyed seeing Ino squirm, did not want to see her hurt.

"Calm down Naruto, you know better than to get annoyed by something like that."

Naruto retracted his blade and fell back to where Sakura was. Ino quickly rejoined her team in hopes of receiving protection from whoever this Naruto guy was.

"Now, I can introduce you to Naruto, our third squad member. He's a Namikaze, Konoha's assassin clan. He's also my boyfriend." She made a face to Ino in mocking, as she was the first one to get a boyfriend among their rivalry.

Ino was shocked, she dropped Sasuke for..this creepy guy?

"What makes him any better than Sasuke?" Ino asked, uncertain.

Sakura didn't know where to start, especially since Ino hadn't seen Sasuke's ugly side like she had.

"Plenty of things, you'd know if you were on his team. Lucky me you aren't." Ino scowled but said nothing.

"Naruto, this is Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi. They are on Ino Yamanaka's team." Naruto just looked at those two who seemed to shrink at his stare.

"Hey, looks like the gang is all here!" They turned to see Kiba lead his squad over to complete the rookie genin.

"Kiba, you know these guys?" Shikamaru asked, obviously wondering about Naruto.

"Yeah, we met them on our mission to Wave. That Naruto guy is pretty strong." Shikamaru just sighed.

"_This is such a drag."_

"It just means we'll have even bigger challenge when it comes down to fighting one another. I'll be sure to show the Namikaze a thing or two." Kiba smirked, belying his actual belief that he would get destroyed if he and Naruto got into a fight.

_'But the others don't know that.'_ He thought with a confident smirk.

"Careful you don't get overconfident, mutt. Or else I'll put you in your place." Kiba glared at Sasuke who issued the challenge, still angry over his defeat by Lee and Naruto.

"What was that Uchiha?" Just before the two could butt heads again, a newcomer made his presence known.

"Hey guys!" Everyone turned to welcome a silver-haired youth with large rimmed glasses.

Naruto immediately smelled his scent and was disgusted, there was something off about him. Kyuubi growled as well, revealing that he too was awake to the events.

_'I don't like this guy..what do you think Kyuubi?'_ He growled.

"_**Yeah, something is different about him than the others. He has a special scent, more like a taint on him. Whoever his master is, is a very twisted individual. Be careful of him."**_

"You might want to keep it down. Making noise will just draw attention to yourself, and everyone is stressed out enough to snap on you if you aren't careful."

The nine genin took a minute to think over his advice before Ino took offense.

"Well who asked you buddy?"

He just laughed and adjusted his glasses.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, a fellow Leaf ninja. Just look around you, do you want to get on these guys' bad side already?"

He had a point, they thought as they looked around the room to see everyone glaring at them. Kusa, Taki, Ame, Suna, and Leaf ninja of all ages were here and sizing each other up. Naruto even thought he could make out some familiar faces from their Kusa mission, but couldn't be sure.

_'Luckily there are no assassins here, it would be unfortunate to fight them in this setting. I guess their villages have them on tighter leashes than regular shinobi.'_

Naruto didn't know how to feel about it, but there was little he could do about the fact of how assassins were treated in other villages.

"But you guys can't help it, you're just rookies that don't know how things work. How could you?" Kabuto explained, but with a condescending tone.

"Kabuto, you've done this before haven't you?" Sakura asked, using her deductive reasoning.

He noticed her and smiled, nodding.

"Yes, this is my seventh attempt in four years." That took everyone by surprise, he was still going through the Chunin Exam after four years?

"So these exams are as tough as everyone is saying? Geez, what a drag." Shikmaru complained and Kabuto scratched his head.

"Well they hold it twice a year so it hasn't been too long. Seventh time is the charm right?" He chuckled, trying to gain his composure.

"Then that means you know all about these exams. Spill it." Sasuke demanded, not wanting to play games.

Kabuto contemplated it, smirking at Sasuke who only scowled in response.

"I guess I could help you guys out, I mean we are both from the same village right?" He took out a deck of cards from his clothing and laid them down on the ground.

Everyone watched as he took one out and flipped it over, revealing it was blank.

"These are my shinobi cards, data I've stored on individual shinobi and other info over the years. This shows I haven't been idle while taking the tests."

To demonstrate his point, he inserted chakra into the first card and displayed the distribution of shinobi attending the exam. Most were Leaf ninja, but there was a good amount from Suna and smaller border countries to Fire's north and western border.

"The reason these tests are held among groups of nations is to foster friendship, but also to act as a check and balance system of military power. With shared judging of shinobi, no one nation will come out on top with the most Chunin at the end of the exam. This keeps things generally fair, although because our village is putting forth so many genin, we have a higher chance of getting the most Chunin."

"In other words, on the individual level we will have to be impressive to stand out." Shino added and Kabuto agreed.

"Exactly."

Sasuke stepped in front of Kabuto, making him look up to see.

"This is useless information. Do these cards have info on individuals? From any country?" Kabuto smirked at Sasuke's aggression intsead of shrinking away, nodding.

"They might, depends on who you are looking for."

The Uchiha cut a sideways glance to Naruto and then back to Kabuto.

"Just give me any info you know about them, and I should be able to find their card."

"Rock Lee of the Leaf, and Naruto Namikaze of the Leaf." Kabuto frowned at the information.

"Ah, that makes it easy to find. No challenge." Everyone looked at Naruto and Sasuke, wondering why he would ask about his own team-mate.

"I don't care, just find them." Sasuke had to know everything there was about Naruto in hopes to defeat him.

Expecting Naruto to make a comeback or ask for his own card, Sasuke was annoyed when he remained silent.

"_**You are really pissing that kid off." **_Kyuubi commented, seeing Sasuke.

_'I don't even know what I'm doing anymore, I think he just doesn't like me.'_ Kyuubi hummed.

"_**Do you like him?"**_ Naruto thought about it.

_'I don't have any reason to like or hate him, although he's getting to the point where we are going to have problems.'_

Kabuto picked the top two cards off of his deck and held them up to Sasuke.

"These are the ones."

Sasuke nodded, waiting impatiently.

"Show them to me."

Kabuto put them both down on the ground and began to insert his chakra into the first one.

"First up is Rock Lee."

The card filled in to show a picture along with a few stats and graphs of the Taijutsu fighter. Kabuto examined the card as well, like it was the first time he read it.

"Looks like..he's only a year older than you guys. A pretty average amount of C and D rank missions under the teaching of Gai-sensei with his two team-mates, Neji and Tenten. His main skill seems to be in his Taijutsu which has rapidly improved, however, his other skills are questionable."

Sasuke examined the card, trying to find out little facts about his opponent.

"Last year he received a lot of attention as an up-and-coming genin but refused to take the Chunin Exam. This will be his first year, just like you guys. Looks like that's about it for this one, next up is Naruto."

He shuffled the one card back into the deck and then began to use his chakra to reveal the next. Everyone leaned in close to find out more about the assassin genin, except for Naruto himself.

"Huh, that's odd. Looks like there isn't much information at all, just the amount of missions he's been on and his name."

Sasuke growled, hoping that there was something he could find out.

"But he is a Namikaze, so this isn't much of a surprise. A well known clan of assassins that went missing over a decade ago.." Everyone turned to look at Naruto in awe. "He's one of the few left." Kabuto added for dramatic effect.

"As for the other countries, they all are skilled opponents. Not much is known about the Oto nins though, their village is new and very small. Suffice to say its going to be a tough exam this year."

"You could say that.." Hinata muttered quietly.

"No time to lose your cool now, we already in it to win it." Kiba stated proudly, although he too was nervous.

_'We are up against a lot of competition, but Naruto is keeping his cool. He knows best, I'll just follow his lead.'_ Sakura said to calm herself, rejoining with the assassin.

Naruto looked out into the crowd and began to recognize familiar faces, trying to follow their lip movements.

000

The Suna Siblings had found themselves a nice area to sit and were given a wide berth thanks to Gaara's reputation. Kankuro grimaced as he saw Naruto looking over toward them, subconsciously rubbing his arm that got twisted up by the assassin.

"That's the guy that kicked your ass, huh Kankuro?" Temari chided, following his eyes.

The puppet user had the decency to remain quiet.

Gaara eyed Naruto, feeling an odd sensation of wanting to fight him.

_'Soon..soon I will have my chance mother.'_

000

Rock Lee had caught up with Neji and Tenten as they found themselves a spot in the crowd and tried to remain inconspicuous to the crowd. They observed the leaf genin and their outbursts, coming to realize they too had some potential since they weren't giving up outright.

"Guess you didn't make as much of an impact as you thought Lee." Neji smirked.

"They are strong." Lee remarked.

000

And in their own corner, three sound ninja kept their eyes on Kabuto. After hearing him downplay Oto's potential, they were thinking about how to teach him a lesson.

"Why don't we show him what Oto ninja can do?" Zaku said, excited at the prospect of fighting.

"Sounds fine with me." Kin muttered.

"Yeah, time to teach him to not insult a village he knows nothing about. Give him something to put on his little card game." Dosu confirmed.

The three spread out in a lightning quick fashion, making their way through the group of shinobi with ease. Few even noticed the movement at all, but the few that did prepared to jump in if necessary.

Kankuro began to loosen his pack but Gaara signaled for him to stop. It wasn't their fight.

Naruto watched as the three came forward, curious as what was going to happen. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kabuto had already noticed them but was playing dumb. What was his strategy?

"Hey punk!" Zaku leaped up into the air and threw two kunai at Kabuto, forcing him to slide backward to dodge.

That left him vulnerable to Dosu who ran up and sent a punch at his face. The silver-haired genin was fast enough to dodge and smirked as did the rest of the Leaf genin. It was only when his glasses broke did the rest realize that the attack got through.

Naruto could tell with his enhanced senses, it wasn't the punch, it was the sound generated from the bandaged ninja's arm. It sent a concentrated sound wave right at Kabuto, but the breaking glass was only the first part of the attack.

Soon enough, he doubled over and puked while the Oto ninja stood in front of him.

"Hehe..little weakling, that ought to teach you to talk down on another village." Dosu chided.

"Put this in your card, Oto are sure to be Chunins by the end of this exam." Zaku boasted.

Sakura moved to help Kabuto but had her arm grabbed by Naruto. The tainted scent, Naruto could smell it on these three too, exactly the same as Kabuto.

_'Kyuubi..do you feel that?'_ The beast growled in assent.

"_**Yeah..these four know each other, their master is the one in the same. The question is who.."**_

"Naruto?" Sakura questioned as he stopped her.

"Something is off about Kabuto Sakura, stay away from him." She didn't understand, but she trusted Naruto's instincts and returned to his side without a fuss.

"What was with that attack? I saw him dodge it." Sasuke said, not believing his eyes.

"Maybe he did something else?" Ino wondered, not sure what to think.

A loud boom and smoke in the front of the room made everyone turn around.

"Alright you maggots, quiet down!" An old, grizzled voice shined through the confusion.

In front of them were all the Chunin examiners of the first exam.

"I am your proctor, Ibiki Morino. Its time for the First Exam to start!"

000

_Konohagakure_

_Academy_

_Classroom; First Exam_

"First of all, Oto genin! Who gave you permission to fight? Do you want to be failed before we even begin?" The proctor shouted, making the sound ninja turn to face him.

"Sorry, this is our first time and we are all a little jumpy..sir." He added the respectful term with obvious sarcasm.

Ibiki smirked, there was always at least one squad like that. He'd enjoy the time they spent together very much so.

"Any use of force against other candidates is strictly forbidden unless allowed otherwise by your instructor. Even then, lethal force is not allowed under _any_ circumstance. Are we clear?" Zaku smirked.

"_No lethal force? Well that's no fun."_ He whispered.

"Now hand over your papers to my fellow proctors and you will receive a number card. This determines where you will sit. Once you are all seated, we can begin the written exam."

"Did he say..written exam?" Choji shuddered to think about it.

Sakura got her papers ready and looked to her side to find Naruto missing. Where did he go so fast?

"I'm right here Sakura." She looked to her other side and he was right there, papers ready and all.

"Oh good, you scared me. Let's hope we sit together." They got in line.

"I don't think that's the point of this exam Sakura.." But Sakura seemed confident in herself, at least until they received their numbers.

It was obvious that they immediately shuffled the numbers once they were confirmed team-mates, but still Sakura was hoping Naruto could work his magic and sit next to her. The blonde just gave her a smile and wink before he went to sit in his spot.

"Don't worry Sakura, it will work out."

Sakura ended up sitting next to two leaf genin she didn't know, from older classes. Naruto sat next to Hinata and Temari of Suna. As they searched the room, Naruto's teaching to Sakura on observation came in handy as she noticed how many genin were already starting to prepare to cheat. The name was the written exam, but she guessed the exam would be too difficult for most so they would be forced to cheat.

The proctor made it clear that this would be prohibited, but if they didn't get caught, maybe that was the point? Ninja are supposed to be secretive about everything they do, this could be a test to check their abilities in information gathering. She risked a glance at Naruto to see him not doing anything, even as the test began. He just sat there, hands clasped together in a thinking pose.

_'I hope Naruto does well..'_

And Sakura began her own test, and realized that her studies during the academy paid off. Most of the questions were scenarios or mathematical equations with ninja terminology mixed in. They were relatively easy and she filled it out quickly.

The rest of the time she just spent watching the other genin and how they went about cheating. Some were obvious and soon caught by the examiners, while the rest could be quite secretive. Sakura was sure she only saw a few of the many techniques others used to get the answers, but soon enough the room was thinned and it was time for the final question.

When the make or break question was posed with its conditions, even more left.

Her eyes darted between Naruto and Sasuke but neither did anything or made any attempt to leave. That meant she was staying as well to hear the final question.

"Alright, all of you who stayed to hear the last question, pass!"

Her eyes widened, pass? They passed?

"But we didn't do anything!" She blurted out, but Ibiki quickly explained.

"The point of the last question was not to test your knowledge but your group cohesion. All of you who stayed show you have confidence in your team to succeed, or at the very least the willingness to fail along with them. This is extremely important for shinobi to know and accept."

_'Teamwork and trust..I guess we do have that.'_

Suddenly, Naruto disappeared into a puff of smoke and Sakura felt someone poke her in the arm. Turning to her right, she saw Naruto waving at her. She was shocked, how did he do that?

Many of the proctors and other students looked in amazement too, how had they not noticed?

"Second Tenant of the assassins, 'See but be unseen.'. I allowed my clone to act as me while I mimicked someone in the crowd, letting me sit next to you and get your answers."

Sakura realized it must have been some sort of genjutsu that only the Namikaze knew. There was still a lot she had to learn, but then she understood why Naruto's clone said what it did.

"_It will all work out Sakura."_

"Well anyway.." Ibiki coughed to get attention back to him. "That concludes the First exam, now we just have to wait for-"

The window suddenly broke as a figure burst through and set up a large sheet that separated Ibiki from the rest of the class. A woman in a revealing mesh bodysuit and trenchcoat stood in front of the class, smirking.

"Second Exam proctor, Anko Mitarashi. If you are the guys that passed, it means Ibiki is getting rusty. Looks like I'll have to weed out the weaklings, come on kiddos!"

She leaped out the window and after a short silence everyone quickly followed her to find the Second Exam starting place.

Ibiki huffed and brushed past the sheet and began checking the papers for fun. He took a look at one in particular, the one that was the Namikaze. The clone had filled out nothing while the original had filled out everything exactly as Sakura had, but with his own wording in case it was checked.

He smirked, looked like the Namikaze outsmarted his proctors.

"Ibiki..how did he do?"

The examiner turned to see the Hokage make an appearance and bowed.

"He did fine sir, he used a genjutsu that outsmarted even myself for the entirety of the exam. I think he easily passed." Hiruzen sighed in relief.

"Many shinobi are shaken that we are allowing him to take the exam, I need to be sure he is doing well for my instincts to be sure."

Ibiki knew about the conflict but did not take sides, assassins used shinobi techniques too and they could be killed by shinobi. That left them on an even playing field if you asked him.

"I'm sure nothing will come of it sir. The Namikaze will go as far as his training will allow."

Hiruzen tipped his hat and nodded.

_'Yes..yes he will.'_

000

Alright, this chapter is done. Next up is the intense fighting between genin in the Second Exam and where many characters will get revealed or have more interaction. I'm sure you were all expecting Karin, and while the idea of her being there was mentioned, she herself was not named.

I can say she, along with Orochimaru and a few other will make more significant appearances coming up as we get into the thick of the Chunin Exams!

I have a research paper due this Wednesday so I won't be updating for a while, but up next is a definite _Mercenary _chapter so go read and review that story if you are interested!

Review!

See ya!


	11. Forest of Death

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 11

Forest of Death

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Fun Fact: This story was originally set to be a NaruxFemKakashi.

Hey guys, back for another chapter of _Namikaze Assassin._ I hope you all have been patiently, or perhaps by this point impatiently, waiting for the next release. So far we have seen two chapters released for _Mercenary_, my AU fiction set in a future of our world and my latest release of _Blonde Uchiha'_s chapter.

As you may know, this story is far ahead in terms of plot progression, already in the middle of the Chunin Exam where _Blonde Uchiha_ has yet to start. This means you will now be enjoying our Assassin Naruto and his squad up against fellow genin from around the world as well as finding themselves in the middle of a war, filled with lies and deceit.

How will Naruto ensure safety for not only himself but for Sakura and others who are willing to join his growing family of assassins?

Well you will have to read to find out!

I will also let you in that the harem is looking to be around six or seven girls. Geez, why do there have to be so many beautiful red heads that are swayed to join Naruto's cause and fall under his charm? Either way, its his marriage headache right? We just get to watch and find entertainment.

Remember to leave quality reviews, its those that make the next chapter come quicker!

000

_Konohagakure_

_44th Training Ground_

Anko led the large group of genin on a trek through the village, leaping over the rooftops and streets of Konoha. Civilians would see the shadows and look up and watch in amazement as a procession of ninja passed right over their heads. Even for citizens of a ninja village, it was still a rare sight to see shinobi from so many nations together in one place.

Naruto and Sakura stayed near the back of the group, trying to avoid attention. They had lost Sasuke in the confusion of trying to catch up with Anko after she left the classroom, but they weren't all that worried. With all the tension between him and Naruto, it was better off that they stay apart.

"Naruto, what do you think the second exam will be about?"

Sakura asked as they moved through the city, it had been occupying her mind for some time. Naruto already knew a lot about the exam from his sources but had yet to give the details to Sakura. Better he tell her now rather than later.

"The next exam will be over our survival and combat skills. The proctor will give you a better description than I can, suffice to say we will both have to put our training to the test."

Sakura's eyes widened, they would be fighting in the next part? It made sense now that she thought about it but she had been wondering if she would even have to put her training to use.

_'I won't let you down Naruto..'_

Sakura was determined not to be a burden to her team anymore.

Naruto had confidence in Sakura as he had seen her progress first hand for the past month or so. While she had not learned any specific techniques of an assassin as it was outside her place, Naruto had made sure her basic ninja skills were up to par as well as gave her some basic assassination training. She could use her hidden blade with skill and knew how to hide from and ambush an enemy shinobi stronger than she was.

"You will do fine Sakura..don't worry so much."

He reassured her as they approached the training ground on the outskirts of town. She blushed as he saw through her worry.

"Thank you Naruto..I have to admit, I don't think I would do as well if you weren't here."

Naruto grabbed her hand as they landed and held it tight. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear.

"I will be right beside you."

Sakura blushed again, harder this time, as the genin gathered into their squads. Sasuke found his way back to the other two, not saying anything in the way of greeting. Eyes shifted back and forth among the Chunin aspirants, checking their competition. Whispers of fear, challenge, and gloating floated around the teams until the eccentric instructor chose to speak, her loud voice shadowing the others.

"This is where the second exam will be held, Training Ground 44." Anko garnered a deadly smirk and put a hand on her hip. "Around here we like to refer to it as 'The Forest of Death'. Catchy huh?"

She received the desired effect as some of the squads began to get apprehensive looks. Why would it be named that? What was this next exam all about? Was it worth dying over?

"It is a pretty creepy place."

Sakura observed the dark forest that lay behind the rusted fence, already imagining the worst of what they would find in there.

Anko heard her and smiled.

"You will get to experience first hand how it got the nickname, Forest of Death, pretty soon. Don't you worry about that kiddo."

Naruto crossed his arms and sighed, and the proctor picked up on his attitude.

"Mitarashi-san, don't try and-" The woman quickly slid a kunai from her sleeve to her hand and threw it at Naruto who, faster than anyone could see, caught it and continued talking. "-scare us before we've seen the arena for ourselves."

Anko smirked, his reflexes were top notch to catch the attack and not to mention how he did it without so much as a flinch. There were the series of 'wow's and 'How did he do that?'s among those gathered while others were not as impressed.

Gaara as expected continued to watch him with the same blank stare, but inside her blood was rushing in excitement. She wanted so bad to fight him, watch the assassin squirm in her sand as she crushed him slowly.

_'Soon..I will have you in my Coffin.'_

The Oto nin watched carefully, knowing that to complete their mission they would have to go through the assassin. His skill was impressive, so much to the point that it was obvious even to the tactical one of the bunch, Dosu, that they would have trouble. They couldn't fail though or their punishment would be death, better to be at the hand of a quick assassin rather than their master.

The silent Kusa shinobi hid their excitement beneath their straw hats. It would be quite an entertaining fight should they run into the one in the white robes.

_'This will be..interesting.'_ Their leader thought, licking her lips.

The proctor made to move and disappeared in a blur, appearing behind Naruto. One hand rested on his shoulder while the other one wandered a bit over his chest, her face going from joking to perverted in only a moment.

"You know, you are getting pretty handsome the more I-" Feeling another presence, Anko grabbed another kunai and held it up in defense.

"I don't care if you are the proctor, my senior, or even another woman. Don't you _dare_ touch him." Anko saw the other robed one, a girl, holding a wrist blade to her neck and blocking Anko's kunai with her own.

Sakura's tone was venomous to say the least and left little room to negotiate.

The proctor had the decency to grimace in her new situation, so much for getting to play with the Namikaze. His little girlfriend was a little _too_ protective for her tastes.

"Sakura, its alright." They both looked and saw Naruto smirking under his hood, turning to face them.

"But Naruto, she.." Naruto handed the kunai back to Anko and moved to Sakura's side, placing a hand gently over Sakura's blade arm.

"We do not fight innocents remember? Calm yourself..the proctor was just seeing if I had weapons under my robes, isn't that right Mitarashi-san?" He gave the proctor a knowing look and the older woman made an annoyed sound and put her weapons away.

"Whatever, let's just move onto the test."

While Naruto took Sakura off to the side to calm down, Anko recomposed herself in front of everyone to speak. She had a tight schedule to keep and couldn't afford to play around with the little genin all day, no matter how much she would enjoy it. Hearing their screams of fear and agony from the forest would have to be enough.

"Before we begin the exam, you all will need to fill this out." Anko reached into her coat and revealed a stack of papers, labeled as 'Consent' forms.

"Consent forms, what for?" Ino asked as the paper got passed around to her.

"This is the most dangerous portion of the exam and people _will _die. Having these forms keeps us from being responsible to your home village for your death since you entered on your own whim."

The way she so nonchalantly put their chance of survival or death was not very comforting. It made little difference though as they had all come knowing there would be some risks to become Chunin. As the genin began to fill out the forms, their minds wandered in what they were expecting.

Shikamaru looked over the sheet and sighed.

_'A survival test?..this is going to be such a drag.'_

Kiba quickly signed where it said to and smirked, excited for the upcoming test.

"This is our specialty, there is no way we can lose!"

Hinata looked over at Naruto's group and saw they too were participating, silently hoping they would not have to face one another.

_'Good luck, Namikaze-san.'_

Anko pulled out another scroll from her coat, this time it was a map of the area.

"While you are filling out your forms, listen in to know what kind of place you'll be in for the next five days." That got eyes to look up at her as she began to point at the scroll's contents.

"Training Ground 44 is a circular arena, ten kilometers in size. There is a large forest and river that runs through it, as well as a large tower in the middle. The tower will be where the final exam takes place so be sure you can find your way.."

It was becoming clear that this was not just a simple race to the tower, there had to be twist. The genin waited impatiently for the proctor to move on and watched as she pulled out two scrolls of differing color and kanji.

"The survival program is a simple competition over these two scrolls..anything goes as long as you complete the objective."

"Scrolls?" Sasuke asked in a sarcastic tone, they would be fighting over some useless parchment?

Anko smirked.

"Yes Uchiha, scrolls. One is a Heaven scroll, the other Earth. You will receive one of these scrolls and it will be your mission to obtain its opposite through any means necessary. You _will _come into contact with other teams, there is no other way you can pass."

The teams eyed their opponents again, even more wary than before. Anko continued in a serious tone, having lost her original excitement.

"Twenty six teams passed the first exam, that means that half will receive the Heaven scroll and the other half will get Earth."

"And how do we pass?" Naruto asked the question everyone was waiting to hear.

"Basically, have both these scrolls and reach the tower with your team-mates."

Sakura observed that this was a very effective test as effectively half of the teams present would have their scroll stolen and failed. It meant that they would have to be even more careful to watch their own scroll; if the teams there were not confident enough to fight them, they may to try and get it in another way. She was sure Naruto was prepared to handle whatever problem would arise though.

"It has to be finished within the time limit though, as you only have one hundred and twenty hours. Five days as I said before."

"What the hell am I supposed to eat for five days?" Choji shouted, terrified by the fact he would be away from a good meal for that long.

Anko scowled and pointed a finger at the forest behind her.

"Find it yourself, there are plenty of herbs, plants, and animals to hunt and eat."

Kabuto pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and spoke in turn.

"But what you fail to mention is that there are even more poisonous plants and insects as well as dangerous beasts inside."

Anko chuckled and crossed her arms.

"It will be a challenge and that's just the way we shinobi like it. Either prove yourself worthy..or die."

Shikamaru raised his hand and spoke as she hadn't answered his number one question yet.

"Can we quit in the middle of the five days?"

Anko knew all about the Nara's renowned laziness and had expected the question.

"Participants cannot quit upon entering the exam grounds, you must spend the five days in the forest.." Anko then got a bored look on her face as she went over the final part of the rules. "Speaking of that, here is how you can be failed. First, by being unable to bring two scrolls to the tower with all three team-mates. Second, losing a team-mate or bringing an incapacitated one will result in failure."

She took out the scrolls again to give one final rule.

"And lastly, you are not allowed to open and see the contents of the scrolls under _any_ circumstance."

That made everyone immediately want to know what was inside.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, he didn't like getting prohibited from doing anything.

"As a Chunin, you may be given secret documents to be delivered or protected. This ensures you can be reliable to not view those documents that you are not privileged to."

It made perfect sense to most and the questions died down considerably. Noticing the quiet, Anko gestured over to a nearby hut with other examiners there waiting.

"When you have your consent forms ready, head over there and exchange them for a scroll. When you are done, pick an entrance of your liking and wait for the examiner to give the signal to enter.. as each team will enter at the same time, there is no chance of cheating."

Anko looked over them all, while some seemed legitimately afraid of the upcoming test, the rest seemed excited to begin. That made her excited to see how many of them would survive and how many would die.

"One last piece of advice.." Every genin met her eyes as she spoke her last order. "Just don't die!"

The genin soon dispersed and gave their last thoughts about whether to go through with the test or not. With the new information given to them by the proctor, it was most definitely more difficult than they would have imagined. Even then, most had already made up their minds that they would go through with it.

"Sakura, are you going to go through with this?" The pink haired girl looked to see Ino and her team come over and see her.

Naruto, who was sitting on a nearby dirt mound, chose to ignore them and let Sakura deal with her old friends. Sasuke was scoping out the other teams and wasn't even paying any attention the new arrivals.

"Of course I am Ino, I won't let my team down." The blonde put her hands on her hips and smirked.

"You weren't too impressive back in the academy Sakura, I doubt you can handle the pressure." Sakura glared at her friend and Ino's taunting was rebuffed.

"I'm not the same girl I was back in the academy Ino..I think that much is pretty clear." Her friend took a few steps back.

"Yeah..I guess it is."

_'I've never seen Sakura so serious before..what did that Naruto do to her?'_

"Sasuke, Sakura, let's get our scroll." Naruto got up and started making his way over to the hut with his team-mates close behind, pushing past Ino's squad.

Team seven was ready to begin the Second Exam.

000

Once each team had received their scroll, they moved to a vacant entrance and prepared to start the test. Simultaneously, they would be released into the Forest of Death and would most likely come into contact soon after entering. Some of the more apprehensive teams tried to find entrances where they could not see other, stronger groups nearby.

Others like Suna just chose the closest one, unconcerned.

It was quiet until it was time for the exam to begin and the Chunin examiners unlocked the gates. Teams spread into the overgrowth and tried to get as much distance from the outside as they could. It was also during this time they took in their surroundings and realized the forest was indeed dangerous with all kinds of beasts waiting to attack them, not to mention plenty of hiding spots for enemy shinobi.

Naruto stopped his squad in a clearing and took out their Heaven scroll. He had been hanging onto it since they received it, but felt it was better he did not keep it himself.

"Sakura, here." Sakura was shocked he chose her to hold their scroll and started to disagree.

"Naruto, I don't think that's such a good idea.." Naruto just shook his head and took her hand, pressing the scroll into her grasp.

"I know you will take care of it, keep it safe."

She didn't understand why he wanted her to hold it but did not go against his order, placing it in her waist pouch.

"I understand Naruto.."

He nodded and took a look around them, it was a little too open for his tastes.

"We should probably-" Naruto stopped when he saw Sasuke wandering off. "Where do you think you are going Sasuke?"

The Uchiha turned around and shrugged.

"I have to take care of some business, be right back."

Sakura crossed her arms, the gall of him to just leave like that. When he was out of sight, she spoke her mind.

"Who does he think he is?"

Naruto chuckled.

"Don't worry Sakura, its just his pride getting in his way. I think he had to go to the bathroom.." Sakura looked surprised and then just laughed.

"He tried to sound cool just to go to the bathroom?" She mocked him and made Naruto smile.

It wasn't long before he returned, hands in his pockets with the usual swagger. Sakura just got a knowing smirk on her face and crossed her arms, making Sasuke look at her.

"Already done with your important _business?_"

Sasuke looked as if he didn't understand for a moment and then chuckled.

"Uh yeah, I'm good now." Sakura furrowed her brow at how he reacted, not at all like she was expecting.

_'Where is the brooding, defensive Sasuke? I mean how long has it been since he smiled and laughed?'_

She watched as Naruto disappeared and punched Sasuke right in the gut, sending him down to the ground. Quickly, he grabbed one of the Uchiha's arms and twisted it behind his back, effectively pinning him.

"Hey, what are you-" Sasuke protested but quickly shut up when there was a blade to his throat.

"Where is the real Sasuke..I won't ask again."

Sakura didn't understand for a moment, the real Sasuke? Sure he was acting odd but was that reason enough to suspect him?

"Naruto, what's going on?" The blonde didn't look up at her, focusing on holding the struggling imposter.

"Can't you tell Sakura..he's acting oddly. Not to mention he has his thigh pouch on his left leg, Sasuke is right-handed like you and me." Sakura looked down at his legs and sure enough, the pouch was on his left.

Sasuke stopped struggling and then just smiled. As he spoke, his voice began to change and grow deeper, somewhat distorted.

"I guess you found me out, no matter."

Dropping the Henge, the Rain ninja revealed himself in his original form. Naruto twisted his arm harder, almost about to break it. His captive grunted in pain as he felt the cold steel of the blade against his neck.

"Where. is. he." Naruto asked slowly, getting impatient.

"Ugh..damn you." The shinobi began to sink into the ground, changing into mud.

Naruto got up from the pile of dirt and rejoined Sakura. They got back to back and readied their blades, knowing the ambush wasn't over yet.

"Get ready Sakura, they won't give up that easily." Naruto said as he scanned the trees and bushes.

"Right!"

Sakura watched for their opponent, scanning the bushes and trees for any sign of him. It was when she turned her eyes that the Ame nin struck, charging out of the underbrush in a full force charge. Seeing him, she readied to defend herself.

"There he is!"

Naruto leaped up into the air and began going through hand signs, making the enemy shinobi hesitate.

"**Kaze no Yaiba!**" Wind lashed out from Naruto's hands, slashing at the ground around him.

"Damn!" The Rain ninja rolled and jumped out of the way of the attack, landing on a tree root and launching himself right at Naruto.

Sakura watched as they met in the air, kunai and blade sparking against one another. They glared at one another before pushing away. As the Ame ninja retreated into the tree tops, Naruto and Sakura went in hot pursuit, jumping on the tree limbs after him.

"Hey, down here!" Naruto looked down and saw Sasuke, he was tied up on the ground and struggling to get free.

"I'll help him, go Naruto!" Sakura leaped down and untied their team-mate who quickly got up and ran after the Ame ninja.

Sakura growled.

"You're welcome."

Naruto leaped onto another branch and the shinobi turned around, throwing a dozen knives at him. Naruto jumped off of the branch as it exploded, showering splinters of wood everywhere.

The assassin landed on the forest floor and felt a presence behind him, inclining his head to see the Ame ninja had reached him.

"Just hand over the scroll..now." He asked with an outstretched hand only to glare when Naruto smirked.

"You are way out of your league..I suggest you leave before you get hurt."

"What did you-"

"Come over here!" They looked up and saw Sasuke throw a kunai at them, forcing the enemy ninja to jump onto a tree and leap away from them.

Sasuke landed next to Naruto and saw him not moving.

"What the hell are you doing? Get up!" He then jumped into the air after the spy.

Naruto reached into his vest and produced a knife, twisting around and throwing it in lightning quick speed. Even so, the distance allowed the Ame ninja to just barely dodge it, although it ripped his jumpsuit.

_'Hmph..guess this plan was a-'_

He exhaled sharply and looked down at his chest, feeling a sharp pain.

"Forget about me?"

Sakura's unforgivingly cold voice trickled into his ear drums and Oboro realized that the female ninja had gotten behind him somehow. She pulled her blade from his chest and let him fall to the ground, finding safety on a branch as she watched her prey land with a heavy thump.

"Ahhhh.." He sighed sharply as pain overwhelmed his senses, he had been bested by the Konoha ninjas.

Sasuke landed near him and searched him for the scroll, finding none. Cursing, he kicked the Ame nin in the stomach, making him roll over onto his back and give a cry of agony.

"Don't bother Sasuke, he was a scout. No way his team would allow him to carry the scroll.." The Uchiha just crossed his arms while Naruto and Sakura gathered around their fallen opponent.

"Don't..kill me..pl-please.." He reached a bloody hand for Naruto's robes but had his wrist caught by the blonde.

"This is something I did not teach you Sakura, as you are not an assassin yet." She looked at him in confusion as he brought up his arm, revealing the hidden blade.

"I had hoped you would not be forced to kill so soon..but I guess that was naïve of me."

The Ame ninja's eyes widened and he began to weakly struggle but could not get away with Naruto's iron grip.

"May you rest in peace and be forgiven of your worldly sins." He then quickly ended Oboro's short life, stabbing his neck.

The event over, Naruto placed the ninja's arms over his chest and stood up from the corpse. Sakura held back her shock and emotions of what was effectively her first kill, even though Naruto finished the job. When she had stabbed him, she thought nothing of what she was actually doing, only knowing that she was protecting her team-mates.

"We do not let our targets suffer with mortal wounds, always try your best to end their life as quickly as possible." She nodded, that seemed to make sense to her.

"What was that you whispered before killing him?" Naruto began to walk up the tree and retrieve his throwing knife, impaled in the old bark.

"It is partly a prayer but mostly done because of tradition. I will explain more when you progress in you training.." Naruto dropped down back to join them, placing a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Suffice to say that we do not hate the ones we kill, it is only a means to an end that we do what we must."

Sasuke scoffed, they were wasting time.

"Can we move on now? I'd like to get this scroll and move on.."

Naruto wasn't exactly happy how his team-mate just ignored his clan's traditions but didn't bother to pursue it. Sasuke had a point, they couldn't stay in one place for any reason and needed to keep moving.

"We should move on, maybe try finding his team. Come on.."

"Wait!"

Naruto turned around and wondered what Sakura needed. Sasuke glared at her, getting impatient.

"What is it Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"We need to figure out some way of telling if we are genuinely who we say we are, in case we get separated. The risk of an enemy transforming is too great to ignore.." Naruto thought about and agreed, it would be a problem.

"Don't worry about it, my enhanced senses will be able to tell if someone is genuine. Each person's scent is unique and only the most skilled transformers can replicate pheromones and natural odor." Sakura was comforted by that but still felt the need for caution.

"When we think you may not be who you say you are, we will just ask a question that only the three of us would know. That is if Naruto isn't with us or can't figure out if you are who you say or not."

They seemed to agree to her plan and so they prepared to proceed. Just as they were leaving, Sasuke felt himself hit by a pebble and looked in that direction, just seeing more trees and vines. Naruto thought he heard something and turned as well, hearing the wisp of a strong wind.

"Everyone get to high ground!"

Sakura and Sasuke were jolted into action as Naruto started going through hand signs. They did as he said, taking position in the higher branches of the tall trees, watching for enemies.

"**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" Naruto held his palms outward and shot a large gust of wind in the direction he heard the suspicious sounds.

The two jutsu collided and a large explosion was created in the forest, kicking up dust, dirt, and tree parts and sending it to fly around the genin and their assailants.

"A new enemy?" Sasuke questioned, shielding his eyes from the dust.

_'Where are they..'_ Naruto kept his eyes open and tried to listen for their footsteps, the second attack had to come soon.

That scent..that scent he had from Kabuto and the Oto ninja. It was _here_.

000

The Kusa ninja brought her arms down from creating the jutsu, seeing that it was blocked. Her two team-mates stood on either side of her, waiting for orders.

"You two go have fun with the other genin. These three are mine.." They smirked and knew their Lord was about to have some fun.

"Yes..Lord Orochimaru."

They leaped away and allowed the snake to disappear in a flash to go find his prey.

000

Naruto was still searching for his opponent when he heard something coming toward him, _fast_. It made the ground slightly rumble as it approached and he quickly turned to face it and jumped back when he realized just what it was. A giant snake smashed through the trees into the clearing they were in, hissing and biting at the blonde.

_'Damn!'_

He thought as he got a few kunai ready, this was the worst possible time for this thing to show up. He leaped into the air threw the kunai at the snake's face, barely piercing the thick scales. Hissing in anger, it pursued Naruto with speed he had not been expecting, then the assassin snapped his fingers.

The kunai that had explosive tags activated and stunned the large beast, giving the blonde enough time to get high into the trees. He knew he only delayed it and looked over at Sasuke and Sakura who were staring back at him, waiting for him to say something.

"I'll get this thing out of here and be back as soon as I can! Stick together and don't die!"

Naruto shouted as the snake recollected itself and charged the tree he was taking refuge in, making it shake.

"No! Naruto!" Sakura made to go and help him but felt her arm grabbed by Sasuke.

His look told her that it was no use.

"You can't help him now Sakura, let him get the snake away from here and get ready for whoever sent that jutsu at us."

Sakura turned back to Naruto and saw he was already gone, disappeared into the forest with the snake close behind. She couldn't believe that it was so early in the exam and they were already separated.

_'Please Naruto..come back safe!'_

"You don't have time to rest I think."

Kunai launched from behind them, forcing them to retreat back down into the clearing. They looked up to see their opponent, one of the Kusa ninja from before, smiling at them.

"You.."

Sasuke whispered as she dropped down from the branch and stood on equal footing with them. She reached into her pouch and took out the Earth scroll, the scroll they needed. They watched as she held it up playfully as a reward if they had the courage to take it.

"You must want this..because you have a Heaven scroll, don't you?"

Sakura looked into her pouch and saw it was sealed, looking back at the ninja with wide eyes.

_'How..how did she know?'_

"Let it be the reward of our fight..the fight over our scrolls.." The Kusa nin then proceeded to swallow the entire scroll, like a snake would its food.

Sasuke and Sakura were disgusted but couldn't help but watch as she did it. When she was done, she licked her lips with that abnormal tongue and gave a deadly smirk.

"Let it begin."

They stared deep into her eyes and felt the strongest killing intent they had ever experienced, bringing them to their knees. Neither could move as they watched their own deaths play out in their mind, at the mercy of the enemy before them.

Seeing them paralyzed, Orochimaru frowned in disappointment.

"What, already unable to move? I expected more.." He took out two kunai and approached them. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick."

They knew their end was near and kept trying to move, something drastic would have to be done to escape..

000

"Damn you!" Naruto leaped out of the way as the snake charged again, hitting its head on the tree.

Naruto leaped over it and landed on its body as it tried to wriggle its snout free from the tree trunk.

"I'm tired of messing around!"

Naruto took out his two short blades and sent wind chakra into them, elongating the blades as well as increasing their sharpness exponentially. With a horizontal slash, Naruto effectively sliced the snake in half and yet it still moved in a vain attempt to kill him.

Leaping forward, Naruto ran up its long body up to its head and stabbed both wind blades deep inside its skull. It was only then that the creature finally ended its reign of terror. Naruto quickly sheathed his weapons and determined which way he had come from, he had to get back and help his squad from whoever that evil presence belonged to.

000

_'Got to move..got to move..'_

Sakura and Sasuke struggled to escape their situation but found it too difficult to even move a muscle. Realizing that fear was paralyzing them, they knew they had to escape before Orochimaru could reach them.

Sakura looked at her arm with the hidden blade attached and began to move it over her leg.

Sasuke reached into his thigh pouch and slowly began to pull out a kunai, trying to stand.

Orochimaru stopped walking toward them and lifted the kunai.

"I guess this is where our fun ends." He launched them right at the two, giving them only a second to react.

Sakura quickly twitched her ring finger and activated the blade, slicing into her leg and allowing herself to roll out of the way and jump into the trees.

Sasuke stabbed himself in the leg with his kunai and sidestepped the attack, also jumping into the safety of the branches above.

Orochimaru smirked, it seemed like they had some fight in them after all.

_'Let's see how they handle this..'_

He bit his finger and began going through signs.

"**Kuchiyose.**"

Another large snake appeared and began to give chase into the trees, coiling around the trunks. Orochimaru himself disappeared into the ground and waited for the right chance to emerge.

000

Sakura's eyes darted back and forth, watching for the Kusa ninja. That had been _too _close, the person they were fighting was too strong for them to fight. She had to get Sasuke and run, run far away to where Naruto was.

She had lost Sasuke in the confusion but knew he was close. Wherever he was, she hoped he was alright or else that would mean she was alone.

_'Where are you Naruto..we need you!'_

"AHHH!"

Twisting in the direction of the scream, she saw Sasuke in the air about to be eaten by a snake.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He threw a flurry of shuriken into its mouth and tore up its insides, making it fall over dead.

Sakura rejoined Sasuke and looked him over, his sharingan had already been activated and he was breathing heavily. He was panicked, scared. The effects from that killing intent were still effecting them and slowing them down, making them weak.

"Your eyes are scared, just like prey should be."

The voice came from the mouth of the snake and made them focus on the corpse. Something was beginning to burst from its body, making their eyes widen in disbelief.

"Prey must remain active at all times to keep from being caught, so don't think you are safe just yet."

Orochimaru emerged from inside the snake, taunting them with his tongue as if it was a snake. Sasuke began to back away as their enemy threw shuriken and kunai at them.

Sakura jumped away and Sasuke ran farther up the trunk. Orochimaru smirked and jumped onto their tree, curling himself around the trunk and pursued Sasuke like a snake, stretching his body. The Uchiha screamed in fear, not knowing what to do.

Then it all seemed to go in slow motion as Sakura watched in amazement.

Naruto leaped from above with his hidden blade out and ready to strike. Orochimaru did not even notice him until the last second and by then it was too late. Naruto's blade found purchase, sinking itself in to the man's neck just as he was about to reach Sasuke.

A look of shock and pain overtook Orochimaru before his body began to dissolve into mud. Naruto retracted his blade and grabbed Sasuke by the collar, leaping away from the tree and onto another branch. Sakura quickly joined him as the three were reunited, if only for a moment.

"Naruto..you came back." Sakura said, relieved.

Naruto was panting a bit but nodded. That attack was too close, he almost got Sasuke.

"We need to get out of here..I don't think even I'm powerful enough to fight him off." Naruto warned, checking around to see if Orochimaru was back.

"_**If it comes down to it, you may need to tap into my chakra."**_ Kyuubi told him in a suggestive tone, hoping he would do so.

_'That is my last resort, hopefully we can escape in time.'_ The beast groaned in disappointment.

"What do you suggest we do then? He's fast, faster than Sasuke or me." Sakura knew it from observing his movements, there was no way they could outrun him.

Naruto weighed his options, they could not face him but couldn't run either. That left them with very few options..

_'We could give up the scroll but judging from the kind of aura I'm getting from this guy..that's not what they are after at all.'_

"Alright.." Sasuke and Sakura looked to Naruto for answers, he was their last chance.

"Sakura, take Sasuke and run. I'll hold him off for as long as I can..I don't care if I die or not but its better that you two can at least survive to take another Chunin exam." Their eyes bulged, he couldn't be serious?

Abandon their team-mate, he was asking the unthinkable. Even it was dangerous, there was no way they could just leave him.

"No.." Sakura started but Naruto just shook his head.

"Don't do this Sakura.."

"She's right..we aren't leaving. There is no other option but to stand and fight, we know that." Sasuke joined in, not about to let Naruto play the hero card so easily.

"Naruto..you grew up as an assassin. You missed one of the most important lessons of the academy, to be a true ninja, you must stand by your squad no matter what. Its the only way to succeed..its something an assassin wouldn't have to worry about but its the truth in this case."

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing, they would stay just to die.

"You don't have time to worry!" Orochimaru leaped down into the middle of their group and did a sweeping kick.

They leaped into the air to avoid it but Naruto watched as he did not go after anyone but Sasuke. Why was he so fixated on the Uchiha?

"Come on Sasuke, show me what you can do!"

They fought in mid-air, punches and kicks were blocked and avoided as the two came to blows. Landing on a branch, Sasuke back flipped to get some distance and went through hand signs, forcing Orochimaru to stay back.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**" The fireball launched down the branch right at the snake but was easily dodged by jumping into the air.

Naruto and Sakura threw shuriken and kunai while he was in this vulnerable state, impaling him in over a dozen places. Just as Naruto expected, he melted into mud again and avoided the death blow. He felt a presence behind him and it sent a chill down his spine.

"You are interfering with my playtime."

Naruto leaped from the branch he was on and twisted around to see Orochimaru leap after him. He landed on another tree and kicked off, charging the Sannin head on. They met in the air, Orochimaru grappling Naruto's blade arm while Naruto strangled him.

"Why don't you just die!" Naruto sent lightning chakra through his hand and shocked Orochimaru, forcing him to release his grip.

They hit the ground the and slid away from each other, both going through hand signs. Orochimaru bit his thumb and lifted his sleeve to use his summoning tattoo.

"**Kuchiyose!**"

"**Kaze no Yaiba!**"

Naruto's wind blades sliced Orochimaru's newly arrived snake summon, cutting deep wounds in its skin. Before he could guide a blade of wind to decapitate it, it charged forward and forced him to dodge. It was much larger than the one he fought last time and meant it couldn't be beaten so easily.

"Naruto!"

Sakura was on a higher branch and helped him up, holding her hand out for him to grab. As soon as he stood next to her, she cut a wire that led to a trap she and Sasuke had set up.

Dozens more kunai, some armed with explosive tags, launched and impaled themselves into the beast. Orochimaru leaped clear before they exploded, landing on a nearby tree. Once the smoke cleared, the snake was miraculously alive, its scales were burned and pieces of skin were falling off as it attempted to heal itself.

Naruto launched himself forward while wires shot out and began to trap Orochimaru around the tree he was on. Sasuke had been waiting for just the proper chance to show for his ambush and he had it, tying the Kusa ninja against the tree to allow him to use one of his most powerful techniques.

Sakura watched as Naruto landed on top of the writhing snake head and covered his entire blade arm in wind chakra. With one large slice, Naruto's makeshift wind blade cut through and split the snake's mouth wide open, sending blood and skin flying from the sudden mutilation. As its body went limp, Naruto jumped off and rejoined Sakura.

Breathing heavily, Naruto almost collapsed against the tree trunk and found himself quickly attended to by Sakura. Quickly, she removed his hood and opened his robe, finding blood that was his. At some point when they were fighting, the Kusa ninja must have hurt him. He had been fighting this whole time wounded..Sakura quickly dressed the wound and saw Naruto was about to pass out from chakra loss.

"Naruto stay with me!" She held his face up and made sure his eyes stayed open while she rummaged through her pack for a certain item.

"Here, drink this." Naruto looked down and saw a vial of liquid, it had a light blue tint.

"What..is that?"

She put it up to his lips and he gave her a look; he seemed apprehensive, suspicious. Sakura winked to comfort him and soothed his worries with her loving care.

"Trust me." He quickly drank it with her help, slowly feeling his chakra and stamina regenerate.

It was slow at first, but noticeable.

"I..can move?" Sakura helped him up, glad to see her first potion worked.

Thanks to all that time she spent in Naruto's compound, reading and studying the books he gave her to read. It was said that the best Healers could create potions and poisons from any kind of plant or material nearby, and she hoped to one day reach that level. This particular potion had taken her many hours to perfect even if it was considered basic in purpose and design, but she was glad to hear she did it right.

"I hope it helped." Sakura said as she helped support Naruto, he nodded.

"Thank you Sakura, you truly are becoming a great Healer."

They looked down and watched as Sasuke finished his technique. Their enemy was securely tied to the tree trunk by numerous wires and could do nothing but watch as Sasuke launched fire from his mouth.

"**Katon: Ryūka!**"

The fire connected and linked with the wires that were held in Sasuke's mouth, heading straight for the Kusa ninja. He screamed out loud in pain as the fire engulfed him, burning his skin and searing the bark around him.

Once the screams died down a few minutes later, Sasuke released the wires from his mouth and panted from exhaustion. Naruto and Sakura rejoined him and looked at the charred body that was arguably their toughest opponent yet. It was then that Naruto noticed he was still moving and his jaw dropped, how could he still be alive?

"He's still alive!" Naruto got off from Sakura's shoulder and readied his weapon as did they.

"What more do we have to do.." Sakura asked as they looked at his head, now seeing that his skin had a..second layer?

It was pure white and his eyes..they were yellow like a snake.

"Nicely done.._Sasuke_."

Before they could react, his head shot forward at the Uchiha. Fangs emerged from his mouth ready to sink into the boy's open neck..

000

Anko ran into the Forest of Death, quickly ascending into the treetops for a better view. Only a few hours ago, the three bodies of Kusa ninja visitors had been found leading to an immediate investigation. What the rest of the examiners couldn't see that she could though, was that the technique used to steal their faces was something she had seen done before.

Only one man was willing to go so far to meet his desires, and that man was Orochimaru. An S-Class Missing ninja wanted by all major villages for too many crimes to count.

Who better to take him down than his own student?

She leaped to and from branches and tree trunks, looking anywhere for unusual signs of battle or the imposters. It was getting dark and would make it even more dangerous, not only for her hunt but for the genin inside the forest. Whatever or whoever Orochimaru was after was in grave danger and she had to find him before anything worse could happen.

_'I hope **he** is alright, wherever he and his team are in this forest.'_

Her thoughts drifted to someone very important to her and in the back of her mind, she hoped she would encounter them somewhere in her search. She could at least warn him, that wouldn't be enough to break her cover would it?

"Need to hurry!"

000

Orochimaru bit down hard on Sasuke's neck making him scream in pain. As he transferred chakra and blood to form a seal, Naruto saw an opening and ran forward. He grabbed a few knives from his vest and threw them at Orochimaru's body while he launched himself into the air, hoping to stab Orochimaru's head before he could finish whatever he was doing to Sasuke.

At the last second, Orochimaru released Sasuke from his grasp and escaped Naruto's attack by an inch. He pulled his head back but grunted in pain when one of the knives found purchase, hitting his left arm and impaling it to the wood.

"Sakura, grab Sasuke!" Naruto ordered as he ran forward to try and stop the assailant from getting away.

The girl quickly moved to join the now unconscious Uchiha, picking him up onto her back. He was a bit heavy but she could manage, at the moment she was more concerned for Naruto.

The blonde leaped forward again to try and hit Orochimaru with his blade arm before he could get away. With a final taunting smirk, the snake disappeared into the burnt tree trunk leaving only Naruto's bloody knives as proof he was there. In frustration, Naruto punched the tree and made the trunk shake. Quickly, he recovered his knives and returned to Sakura's side to check on Sasuke.

Looking over his wound, they saw he now had some sort of seal on him. Naruto's eyes widened and Sakura wondered if he knew what it meant.

"Naruto..what should we do?"

"We need to find shelter for the night, let's go."

Leaping from the battlefield, the two assassins ran through the thick forest of trees until they could find a suitable place to make camp in. Little did they know that three pairs of eyes were watching their every move.

"We attack at daybreak, understood?"

"This will be fun.."

000

_'He's close..I can feel it.'_

Anko's movements became faster, more erratic. She pushed herself forward, this was her one chance to stop him before he could do any damage. The criminal had slipped through their fingers, _her_ fingers, too many times before to let this chance go past.

Landing on a long branch, she looked at the other side to see him. He seemed hurt and so it would seem she was too late to stop whatever he had tried putting into place, but perhaps she still had a chance to get revenge.

"Anko..It's been so long." Orochimaru spoke with a smile, seeing her approach.

"You are an extremely dangerous criminal..and that's why I'm going to kill you right here, even if it costs my life." Orochimaru began to laugh and it made her blood boil.

She threw a few needles at him but they were knocked aside as he shot his tongue at her as an attack. Jumping into the air and landing on the tree, she looked down to see the tongue still following her and was unable to stop it from grabbing her wrist, dragging her back down to the same branch. With her free arm, she aimed it Orochimaru and used a technique he had taught her.

"**Sen'eijashu**!" Four snakes launched from underneath her sleeve and dug into the tree Orochimaru was hiding in.

With a mighty pull of her arm, Anko wrestled the Sannin out and sent him flying straight toward her. Sidestepping, she quickly launched herself against him and held both his hands to keep him from moving.

"I'm sure you remember this technique.." Making a special hand sign, Orochimaru's eyes widened and realized what she was trying to do.

"You want to commit suicide?" Surprised by his presence from behind, she turned around to see Orochimaru pulling off the last of his mask and revealing his face in the yellow moon.

"A decoy.." She turned around and watched as the clone dissolved into mud, making her twist around and throw her kunai in frustration.

Orochimaru caught it and let it drop to the ground, forming a hand sign that activated her seal. Doubling over from the pain, she could do nothing as he approached her.

"Why..have you come here?" Anko questioned, holding her seal in pain.

Orochimaru smirked as he stood in front of her, relishing in her weakness.

"We haven't seen each other in so long and this is what you say?"

Anko tried to look away but couldn't as he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Falling to her knees, there was nothing she could do but listen.

"I gave a boy that same seal as a present just a little while ago..whatever you do, don't stop the exams. Times are getting interesting, and if my fun is put to an end, it will mean the end for Konoha. I think you understand." Orochimaru smirked but quickly lost it as he looked up in surprise.

Anko did as well and then she saw him.

_'Naruto..?'_

The assassin leaped from the tree above and barely missed Orochimaru. He stabbed and ducked under Orochimaru's attacks with his hidden blade, trying to land a hit. Anko tried to get up and stop them but was still feeling the effects of Orochimaru's chakra.

"Naruto, don't!"

"Kukuku..I was wondering who _owned_ Anko since I left her behind. She bears your scent, _Namikaze._" He spoke as he dodged and deflected Naruto's attacks, but was unable or unwilling to fight back.

"I'll find you if you even try and touch her again, stay the hell away from her!" Naruto yelled, feinting a stab for his head that made Orochimaru lower his body to dodge.

With one foot planted, Naruto sent a bone crunching kick to Orochimaru's face. The hit launched him right back into the trunk of the tree with a sharp pounding. Before he could pursue any farther, the criminal disappeared into the bark, retreating.

Naruto doubled back to rejoin Anko's side and checked her seal, it still held together even though it couldn't keep her from experiencing the pain.

"It was reckless of you to come here..Naruto-sama." Anko told him, hesitating to use the title as she had to go without saying it for so long to keep the right appearances.

"Don't push yourself Anko..I can say the same to you." She chuckled only to flinch in pain.

"Anko..tell me everything." She met his eyes and knew what he wanted, there was no way she could refuse him.

"Yes, Namikaze-sama."

000

And we will stop it there. Next chapter will jump around all over the place with the other characters taking the exam including Gaara, Karin, as well as the outcome of the Oto ambush on Team 7. Next chapter to be released will be my AU story, _Mercenary for Hire_. Go read it and leave some reviews if you want to see the next chapter come sooner!

Remember to review!

See ya.


	12. Namikaze to the Rescue

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 12

Namikaze to the Rescue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Fun Fact: Even though assassins are secretive, in Naruto's world many high ranking shinobi such as Kage are in fact members of the Order. This has led to the assassins being dominant on the continent for many decades.

What's up guys, back again for another chapter of _Namikaze Assassin_. We left off with Team Seven entering the Forest of Death and immediately getting assaulted by other teams including none other than Orochimaru himself. With Sasuke incapacitated from his seal, Naruto and Sakura have sought shelter until their team-mate recovers.

In the mean time, Naruto leaves his team temporarily to go find Anko as she comes under attack from Orochimaru. What kind of information did he wish to gain from her and why does she refer to him in honorifics? Not to mention that the Sound ninja are waiting for sunrise to launch their attack, will Sakura be able to hold them off or will Naruto not make it in time?

I also have a poll on my profile pertaining to an old story of mine, _Namikaze's Homecoming_, that I took down from the site that many want me to re-write. It has come to my attention that someone who read it has since written his own version of it, taking many of my plot points and ideas. Considering when I took it down the general idea of course I figured to be fair game but he didn't even ask for my permission or tell me he was writing it which kind of puts me off. I'm not sure I would like to write the story at this point, so go let me know what you think.

000

_Konohagakure_

_44th Training Ground_

000

"So..Orochimaru is on the move again."

"Yes, Naruto-sama."

Naruto sat with Anko in the treetops as the moon began to fade in favor of daylight. She had been recounting to him the suspicious events occurring in Konoha as well as what the snake told her during their fight. His presence would make the Chunin Exams difficult to continue but they both knew the Hokage would continue the exams to avoid conflict.

"It's clear that the Oto ninja enrolled within the exam are his own spies, but..there is something off about a particular Konoha team."

Anko squinted her brow in confusion.

"Which team would that be? They all seemed to be pretty run of the mill genin."

Naruto's thoughts drifted to Kabuto and his squad, it was clear to him that there was a link between him and Orochimaru.

"It's the team with the older students, Kabuto being one of them. I was able to decipher that he has some sort of link to Orochimaru."

This surprised the Special Jounin that the son of the Medical Chief was in league with a rogue criminal. If it was true then he would have to be apprehended before he could deal any damage.

"Naruto-sama..we should report this to the Hokage. Orochimaru's presence here is already too much of a problem but if we let too many of his spies roam around.."

Anko had a point but there was a risk to that. If they made a move on Orochimaru's forces then he could move up his invasion schedule or make things even worse. Not to mention that Kabuto was clearly hiding his strength and would not be so easy to capture.

"It's too risky Anko, Orochimaru is too unpredictable as far as what his plans are for Konoha during these exams. If we try to apprehend Kabuto or dispel the Oto ninja it will only provoke him into something worse."

They noticed the time and prepared to head out. It wouldn't be too much longer and they would already be missed at their stations so they would have to separate. Naruto was worried about Sakura and knew he should head back before another team stumbled upon their hiding spot. Anko turned to him and waited expectantly.

"So what are your orders?"

Naruto crossed his arms in thought before nodding in satisfaction.

"Alert the Hokage of Orochimaru's presence and his demands. It wouldn't hurt to have the village on alert if he really is planning a war."

Anko nodded.

"And Kabuto?"

Naruto scowled, remembering his stench.

"I will take care of him.._myself_."

He saw the look of worry come over her face and walked toward her. When Kakashi had abandoned him at his father's home, Naruto had been alone for the first few months. Then, as if a barrier had been removed, Anko had arrived and began to take care of him.

He did not know why she was allowed there during his younger years as she wore no clothing that would identify her as an assassin. It was only until he grew older did his father tell him of Anko's past and her brush with the Namikaze, how she became their agent within Konoha. As he was the next heir it was her duty to serve him, and that she did.

That was why he knew that the reason she was worried was because of her duty and the feelings she had developed for him as he grew up. He caressed her cheek in a similar way Orochimaru did, making her flinch but not pull away.

"Don't worry so much..we will see each other soon once the Second Exam concludes. If anything, I'm more concerned about you with _him_ so close."

Anko just smiled and placed her hand over his. The reason she chose to continue to serve the Namikaze wasn't just out of honor or debt for what they did to her, it was because Naruto actually cared. That he was willing to attack someone as powerful as Orochimaru to keep her out of harm's way meant that she had made the right choice.

"Well then you shouldn't worry either..I'm tougher than I look." She gave him a friendly punch. "Besides, its thanks to your seal that he can't influence me as easily."

Anko pulled her coat down a bit so that he could see the Namikaze's seal was still branded over her cursed seal. The three tomoes were inside the curved diamond with a line crossing beneath the open triangle shaped seal. It was put on her by his father many years ago when she was first abandoned by Orochimaru to better contain his hold over her.

Although Orochimaru had temporarily broken it during their short fight last night, Naruto successfully repaired it with his own chakra resealing the deadly mark.

"I will keep in contact with you through the seal. Stay nearby in case I need your help Anko, and be careful."

She bowed as he leaped away from the branch. His urge to return to his team led her to believe that perhaps he had feelings for his team-mate which made her giggle inside. So the stone cold Namikaze had finally gotten a crush?

_'I wonder what his father would say?'_

000

Sasuke twitched and moaned in pain, the seal was acting up again. His team-mate reached up and got a fresh towel to wet, placing the cold rag over his forehead. Again she looked out into the forest from their hideaway to try and spot any sign of the enemy or Naruto.

As soon as they had found their spot in the forest, Naruto suddenly left and said he had business to attend to. What business could he have in this forest? It was as if something jolted him into action as one minute he had been preparing their beds to rushing out the next. It worried her but she had gotten somewhat used to his aloofness and preferred to wait.

She turned back to Sasuke and was disappointed he was still knocked unconscious. They needed to find their scroll as well as reach the tower. Neither of those could be done though until all three of them could move and fight but Sakura knew of no way to awaken the Uchiha. Their only hope now was to wait and hope he could wake up on his own before they ran out of time.

Sakura sat cross legged and closed her eyes. Breathing deeply, she began to focus her senses as taught by her teacher and team-mate, Naruto. Losing her sight allowed her to improve her hearing and soon the forest came alive as each and every creature's call and movement could be heard by her ears. She even thought she could hear people, a faint sound that resembled battle and yelling off in the distance.

Ignoring it, she focused closer.

_There they were._

A squirrel scampered toward their hideaway and Sakura turned around to face it. It was quickly intimidated and ran away, allowing her to return to sitting down.

Three pairs of eyes watched as their first attempt to attack failed as the squirrel ran away. The explosive tag would go unused it would seem as the defending ninja was too smart for that. It meant they would have to approach directly. The squad disappeared in a blur, landing in the clearing in front of the hideaway; the girl defending it made no movement and just sat facing away from them.

"Pulling the night shift to watch over your team-mate? How brave."

There was no response. Dosu scowled, he didn't like being ignored.

Zaku stood up from the stone he was sitting on and yelled at the pink head.

"Hey bitch! We're talking to you!"

Annoyed, he pulled out a kunai and threw it right at her head. They watched as it sailed forward and got within kill distance unchallenged. That was when they realized something was off as the kunai actually passed _through_ her body and got stuck in wood.

"A..clone?"

Dosu said, astounded that they were outsmarted. A wire was cut and dozens of kunai and shuriken launched from the trees above, seeking to impale the Oto ninja. What they thought was an easy attack was then turned back on them as an ambush from the Konoha squad!

_'We've been tricked..'_

Zaku pointed both palms up and launched wind at the attack, hoping to deflect the projectiles. While some were scattered, the shinobi were forced to separate if they wanted to survive the attack. As Dosu slid across the dirt, he tripped another wire and felt his back hit against a tree trunk. A large piece of wood attached to a vine swung down from the treetops hoping to smash him.

With one hit from his melody arm, the wood shattered to pieces saving him from death. Before he could go far though, wires launched from behind the tree and tied him tightly against it. Every move he made only made the material dig into his skin and put him in even more pain.

Kin had rolled away from the shuriken when she detected a presence on her right, sweeping out with a kunai to try and hit it. When she saw nothing her vision went blank as she was kicked in the back of the head. The attack sent her flying into the bushes and knocked cold. She didn't stand a chance when the attacker hit her blind spot with enough pressure to knock her out.

Zaku watched as his team-mates were attacked as they had desperately tried to dodge and found himself enraged. How were they being beaten by someone they couldn't even see? They were supposed to be weak and easy prey after getting done with Orochimaru. How could some girl beat him?

He heard a twig crack and turned around as Sakura ran at him from the bush, hidden blade poised to strike. There she was, he thought as he pointed his palms at her and fired a strong gust of wind. It was then to his horror that the attack went through her and the clone disappeared, a trick.

"Looking for someone?"

Zaku tried to turn around but felt his right arm pulled behind his back and cried in pain. Before she could get an advantage he pushed his leg back and forced her to slide away. He turned and fought her in hand to hand, trying his best to dodge her blade attacks.

Sakura countered and hit back when she could but close combat was not her strong point. She had gotten lucky that she was able to knock the other girl out as it narrowed them down to only two. With Dosu immobilized against the nearby tree it was only Zaku that posed a threat. If she could take him down then she could finish the rest off easily.

"Damn you!"

Zaku kept launching bursts of wind but at the last second Sakura always pushed his arm away, leading the attack to go astray. He noticed she was getting tired and kept laying the pressure on as he slowly pushed her back to the little cove where the Uchiha lay.

_'You are almost done you little bitch.'_

000

"Oh no! Stay away from me!"

Karin ran as fast as she could as the large bear came bearing down on her. It was bigger than anything she had ever seen in her life, what did it eat in this forest to get so big? She had been out getting water for her team when the bear came upriver, looking for fish. Once it saw her she had been on the run from it ever since.

It roared in annoyance as she just barely ducked under its swing, claws missing her head by inches. If this kept up she would really die!

"Somebody help-" She tripped on a root and collapsed on her stomach. "Ouch!"

Her glasses had come off during the fall and she scrambled for them as the bear growled. Looking up, she could only watch helplessly as it prepared to pounce on her and have her for lunch. Tears began to fill her eyes as her life wishes failed to come true because of some stupid bear.

_'This isn't how I wanted it to end..'_

That was when she saw a white flash appear above the beast's head and knock it out with a single axe kick to its skull. The red head's hands found purchase on her glasses and she quickly put them on to look at her savior. Immediately her eyes widened on recognition, it was the same assassin from a few months ago!

"You.."

She blushed as his warm chakra radiated from his body, overwhelming her senses. It seemed he recognized her too as he hesitated for a second as he looked her over.

"I remember you..you are from Kusa."

Naruto leaped down to join her as the bear slouched over, losing its balance. Karin struggled to get up but was too distracted by the blonde. Noticing her hesitation he held out his hand to help her up and she quickly obliged.

"Yes.." Was all she could say in response.

Naruto looked her over and saw she was alright save for a few scrapes. He had heard her screams and the bear's footsteps from far away and decided to come to her aid for some reason. Although it looked like she had the same scroll as them he was glad he could help the beautiful girl from before.

"What is your name?" He asked her and she suddenly fumbled for an answer.

Her face down in embarrassment, she slowly looked up to face him with a deep breath. Pushing her glasses to the bridge of her nose, she found enough courage to speak.

"I'm Karin.."

He seemed intrigued by her name for a while, surely saying it over a few times in his head. It was odd for her to be so enamored by a boy as usually it was the other way around..but his _chakra_, it set her on fire. She just wanted to..oh the things she wanted to do to him were unspeakable!

"I see, it's a pretty name Karin." Her blush intensified. "My name is Naruto..I'm glad I got to see you again after our meeting in Kusa."

She just nodded.

"It was good to see you again too.."

_'She is so soft spoken..I wonder if she is like this all the time? Regardless, her hair is so..'_

Naruto watched as her head would slightly move as she would look at him and then around the forest. Her hair would swish back and forth, the bright red only intensified its beauty.

"Not only your hair..but your eyes are red too." He smiled but lost it when she frowned.

"You think its weird too?"

He quickly shook his head as the girl looked back at him, surprised.

"No..I think you look beautiful." Her heart skipped a beat as the breeze picked up, making her hair lift from her neck. "I don't know what it is but..I think red hair looks great."

Karin quickly pulled her hair back down, petting it slightly.

"Really?"

Naruto noticed her voice changed to what sounded like a normal, confident tone.

"Yeah."

That made Karin happy to hear that he didn't think her odd. She fidgeted with her black skirt and glasses while Naruto looked around, trying to listen.

"I hate to leave so soon Karin..but I think my team-mates are in trouble." Her eyes widened as he prepared to go.

"Wait!"

Naruto turned around and looked at her, giving off a smile.

"I hope we meet again and can really talk to one another..I'd like to get to know you."

And like that he was gone. A few leaves and dust kicked up to show he had been standing there. The girl remained motionless in the clearing. Her blush did not allow her to move for a little while longer as she kept playing his words back in her head. It was the first time anyone had shown any real interest in her..it made her happy.

"I.." She swallowed and then made a cute smile. "Would like to see you again too!"

000

Zaku crouched and did a sweeping kick, knocking Sakura off her feet. They had been fighting one another for a while now and he knew she was almost out of energy. Now that he had the advantage, he took out a kunai and tried to stab her.

Breathing heavily, Sakura quickly kicked him in the stomach and forced him back. She rolled away and realized she couldn't run any farther as they were right where Sasuke was. Her eyes wandered to Dosu as he was finally getting himself untied. The bushes began to rustle when Kin finally woke up, holding her neck in pain.

This was bad, all three were back up. Zaku just smirked as he approached her, knowing that she was out of tricks.

"You thought you could beat us all alone? What a joke."

Sakura's eyes went back and forth looking around, trying to find something to give her an advantage. She was running out of options as their attacks took their toll. Her body began to give out as she fell into a crouch, holding her side.

It wasn't long before Lee arrived in the treetops above, looking down on the arena that the two squads had been in for the morning. It looked like his beloved Sakura was in danger of losing to the Oto ninja and that was something he could not allow.

_'Do not worry my flower, I will protect you!'_

Just as Lee prepared to jump, a shadow covered the sun for a second and made him look up.

Sakura watched from under her hood as _he_ arrived. Like an eagle to a mouse, the assassin swept from the sky and landed on Zaku with practiced precision. His eyes went wide as the sudden weight and pressure against his back pushed him to the ground. He did not have the time to yell as the blade slid deep into his neck.

As Naruto's cloak completely enveloped them, Dosu and Kin could not see what had happened from behind Naruto. They watched as the cloaked assassin slowly got up and turned to face them, the still dripping wrist blade protruding from his forearm. Their eyes widened as there lay the body of Zaku, unmoving.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Naruto asked as he kept his eyes on the other two still stunned from his attack.

Sakura struggled to stand so she could fight beside him.

"I'm fine Naruto..just a little tired."

He looked back at her and saw her frail body shaking as her legs tried to support her. The wound she had inflicted on herself had yet to fully heal, not to mention the lack of rest she had from guarding Sasuke all night. Even in this weak state, he was so proud of her and how far she had come since they met.

"Just rest Sakura.."

Dosu and Kin took it as their chance to charge forward and take Naruto out once in for all.

Sakura watched as they closed in while Naruto was still paying attention to her. She started to yell for him to turn around when his fist swung to the side and sent Dosu flying back. Kin hesitated when she saw her team-mate hit so hard and, as soon as she landed next to him back flipped away. Naruto turned to face her and showed his free hand with a single wire tied around his finger.

With one pull, she felt her foot pulled forward and fell on her back. Looking down in a daze, she saw the wire tied tightly around her foot and realized he must have put it there when she landed next to him. How was he so fast? A clone appeared next to her and pulled her up by her hair, forcing her onto her knees. Before she could struggle, a blade was put to her neck and made her cease any movement.

Sakura watched in amazement as another clone appeared from the bushes carrying a dazed Dosu under his arm. It quickly dropped him and hoisted the bandaged teen onto his knees. A kunai appeared in the clone's hand and he stabbed Dosu's melody arm making the Oto ninja scream in pain. With the arm rendered useless, he was then placed in the same position as Kin with a blade to his throat.

And just like that it was over in the span of less than five minutes. The pink haired girl could only look up at her boyfriend in amazement, how was he so strong? It just showed she had so much to learn before she could get anywhere close to his level.

"This battle is over."

The blonde declared with no argument from the other side. Their eyes were focused on him, wide in fear. He watched in amusement as their bodies shook, taking deep shallow breaths and trying their best to not make any sudden moves.

"Please..just take our scroll. We mean you no further harm Konoha-sa-" Dosu shut up as the blade was moved close to his neck, with one slice it would spill blood.

"Shut up." The clone said in a serious tone making them realize they would not be able to leave so easily.

"Your team-mate is dead..that means you will have to forfeit this round."

Eyes wandered to Zaku's dead body and they knew he was right. How could they come so close and be beaten in the blink of an eye?

"We all know your lord and master Orochimaru is here and that he has plans in Konoha. We also know that you two are just pawns in his game, pawns that can be thrown away."

They said nothing, eyes wide in realization. It was true, why else would he send them to attack the Uchiha's squad when he knew of such a powerful member on their team? They meant nothing to Orochimaru.

"You have attacked me and my team for the last time." Naruto strode forward, their bodies seized up in fear. "I will make sure you are properly punished."

Naruto looked between his two clones and nodded, giving them a signal. Both Sound ninja closed their eyes and waited for the end to come, hoping it would be swift. Instead, the clones formed a hand sign to focus their chakra and then pressed their fingers onto the genins' necks. Both screamed in pain as the chakra painfully inscribed seals on their skin, forming the Namikaze emblem.

"Your service has only just begun."

That was the last thing they heard before they fell over, unconscious. The clones carried them into the uprooted tree and then disappeared, leaving Naruto alone with Sakura. She looked over their bodies and got a good look at the seal; the skin around it was red and indicated it was very sensitive from the pain.

"Naruto..what did you do to them?"

He sat down next to her and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. Blushing at their closeness, she couldn't help but let go a sigh of relief as she leaned on him. It had been a long two days for both of them with little time to rest.

"Just rest now..I'll tell you later."

Sakura just nodded into his shoulder, too tired to disagree. It wasn't long before she fell asleep in his arms and he quickly laid her down in a bed roll for proper rest. He looked at her face and how peaceful it had become since closing her eyes. She looked so beautiful when she was calm like that, he thought as he brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.

A surge of chakra made him look over at Sasuke and see something he wasn't expecting. The curse mark expanded over his skin and a rush of chakra flooded through him. The Uchiha slowly got up and looked around with an angry look in his eye, turning to face Naruto.

"You.."

Naruto watched cautiously as Sasuke approached. He didn't want to hurt him but he wouldn't let him near Sakura with that kind of evil chakra running through him. Even in his exhausted state he could feel the killer intent being released.

"Stop it Sasuke, get a hold of yourself!"

Naruto rushed forward and tried to punch him in the gut but somehow he was faster. Sasuke blocked the punch and threatened to twist Naruto's wrist, but he pulled away in time. A clone appeared next to Sasuke and grappled him, able to throw him out of the tree's cover into the clearing. With a sharp elbow over his shoulder, the clone popped and Sasuke was back up.

Naruto crouched in the entryway to their hideout, breathing to catch his breath. What kind of seal was this that made Sasuke as fast as him? The chakra gave off a disgustingly evil feel but he couldn't understand why Sasuke wasn't shrugging off its effects. It was clear to him that he would have to incapacitate him again if he wanted Sasuke to go back to normal.

"Alright..guess I'm doing this the hard way."

Naruto began to run forward, gathering lightning chakra in his hand. Sasuke charged him and grappled his wrists, turning the battle into a sudden test of strength. Their heads butted against one another as Sasuke tried his best to hold onto Naruto's strong arm but slipped, breaking his hold. The blonde then gripped Sasuke's wrist and sent the lightning flooding through his body, making him scream.

He followed up with a punch to his gut and then an uppercut that sent the Uchiha flying. Eyes watched Sasuke land onto the ground and roll over, the seal slowly receding. Lee had waited around to make sure Naruto had handled things safely and to make sure his Sakura was alright. Now that things had settled down, he took that moment to leave.

It was also at that point that Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji watched from the bushes stunned at Naruto's strength. They had come to find out what the source of the ruckus was but only found the assassin beating on the Sound ninja then Sasuke. Even if Ino wanted to yell at him for touching her crush, Shikamaru easily talked sense into her when he made it clear they stood no chance against him.

"I know you are there..get out of here before I kill you too." Naruto shouted as he picked up Sasuke's body and began to carry him inside.

That was enough for those three and they ran off without even looking back once.

With all that drama out of the way, Naruto dropped Sasuke on his bed and fell to his knees in exhaustion. Kyuubi had watched the entire exchange and knew the boy was barely functioning so he gave him the best advice possible in that situation.

"_**Just go to sleep boy.."**_

And with that, the blonde collapsed into Sakura's bedroll. Team Seven had gone through enough trouble during the Second Exam but it was only going to get worse.

000

_Forest of Death_

_Tower_

000

"Orochimaru is here?"

"The exams need to be cancelled right away!"

"We need to find him before he can cause any trouble."

Anko had just alerted the gathered instructors as well as the Hokage of the criminal's presence in Konoha. An uproar followed as they all voiced their opinions of how to handle the situation. It wasn't until the Hokage cleared his throat did they stop and allow him to speak.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention Anko. The village will be alerted and prepared should he try anything."

She then went on to explain his plans and that he did not want the exams canceled. It put them in a hard spot as Orochimaru was danger not only to their village but to the visiting genin. If he were to kill one it would make an international incident with Konoha at fault. At the same time though his threat made it clear that stopping the exam could be even worse.

"Hmm..It would seem we are stuck. Either way we are taking a risk.." Hiruzen sighed, his former student was not making his life any easier.

"What are your orders Hokage-sama?"

The Jounin and Chunin present waited for his word before they would continue. It was time for a leadership decision.

"We will continue the exam but raise the alert level. There is a chance we can diffuse the problem before it gets out of hand. Keep your eyes open and report anything odd immediately."

The gathered shinobi dispersed and went back to their stations which allowed Anko to slip out. Walking through the tower, she found a secluded hallway and leaned against the wall. Concentrating, she focused chakra to her seal in an attempt to contact Naruto.

"_Anko, report."_ He spoke in her mind meaning he had felt her activate the seal.

"_The Hokage has raised the village's alert level but will continue the exam. Have you seen any sign of Orochimaru since?"_

"_No, but the Oto squad attacked us in an attempt to fight Sasuke. I was able to kill one and capture the other two..in fact I need your help with something."_

Anko's brow creased, it wasn't often Naruto captured an enemy and let them live. They must have had some importance in his plans.

"_What is it?"_

"_I need you to travel near gate #16 and pick these two up. I applied my seal so they won't be conscious until I allow it, just take them to my compound."_

_That_ surprised her even more that he had applied his seal to them.

"_Your seal Naruto-sama? Are you sure its wise to use Orochimaru's pawns against him?"_

Naruto chuckled a bit.

"_I don't think they will have much love for Orochimaru for very long. Besides, they fear me just as much as they do him by now after I made their team-mate an example."_

"_Very well..I will do as you ask."_

"_Thank you Anko, we are on our way to the Tower as I speak. I'll see you there, travel safe."_

Anko opened her eyes after the telepathic conversation and began to walk off as if nothing happened. For too long she had just been gathering information and waiting for Naruto to grow old enough to lead. Now that he was making plans, the Namikaze were finally on the rise again. It gave her some pride to know she was a part of that.

Without anyone suspecting, the Special Jounin slipped out of the tower and proceeded with the task given to her. If it was for Naruto, she would not fail.

000

_Forest of Death_

000

"**Sabaku Kyū.**"

The Rain shinobi were quickly wrapped in sand that suddenly appeared at their feet. Hands grabbed their legs and kept them from escaping as the attack took its time enveloping them. Gaara forced them to rise from the ground, guiding the sand with her hand.

"I'll kill everyone that gets in my way.." She said out loud, sending chills down Team 8's and her sibling's spines.

With one hand holding a fallen umbrella, the other controlling the sand closed to finish her jutsu. Screams were silenced in mere moments as the entire squad died in one go. Blood launched from the sand cocoons, pelting the surrounding area.

"**Sabaku Sōsō!**"

Kankuro walked forward after the rain of blood had finished and picked up their scroll. He smiled, a Heaven scroll, how convenient.

"Looks like we got what we need, let's head to the tower."

He looked back and saw Gaara eying the nearby bushes where Team 8 hid. His gut was unsettled as he knew Gaara would want to keep fighting which wasn't something they could afford. If they wanted to stick to the plan they needed to get to the tower as quickly as possible.

"I'm not done yet..there are more I want to kill."

She held her arm up again and sand began to drift toward her target. Kankuro walked toward her as Temari tried desperately to calm her sister down.

"Gaara-chan, let's just go. There will be plenty more fighting in the next exam.."

"Yeah Gaara, don't-"

"Shut up!"

They both were shut down by their sister as she continued to track the Konoha ninja. Frozen in fear, Kiba and the others could do nothing but pray she backed off. Kankuro walked up to his sister and gripped her sash that held the gourd to her back. Her aquamarine eyes locked onto him and he felt a killer intent directed at him.

"Listen to your older brother, we are going!"

"I've never seen either of you as siblings.." Gaara slapped his hand away then pointed her attack at him, making him freeze. "I will kill you if you stand in my way."

"Gaara..please calm down and let us get going. I'm asking you as your big sister.." Gaara did not move for a long pause before she moved her hand back toward Team 8.

They expected an attack but instead Gaara just collected the cork for her gourd and placed it back on. As they silently breathed a sigh of relief, the red head slowly began to make her way toward the tower.

"Let's go."

The two siblings quickly followed behind not wanting to anger her. Gaara's insides shook at the thought of fighting and blood, the Rain ninja were nothing compared to what she really wanted. Ever since she had locked eyes with that assassin she knew she wanted to kill him. Her thoughts would wander as she tried to imagine what sound he would make as she slowly suffocated him.

Shukaku could only find amusement in how the girl was fixated on the kid with his brother inside. That bloodlust flowing through her veins was like pleasure to both of them. He knew her bones ached to get a hold of him, but what he found odd was why she was so fixated on him. Perhaps it had something to do with a past experience, not that it mattered much to him.

Blood was blood and Shukaku anticipated that Gaara would make Konoha drown in it.

000

Naruto and his squad were running through the forest in the general direction of the tower. It was getting dark and he wanted them to avoid as many enemy shinobi as they could. Each were on different levels of the forest to avoid larger traps that could endanger closely packed teams.

Naruto took the arguably most dangerous position at the bottom of the forest floor, running through tall grass and avoiding tripwires set by teams already past them. Sasuke jumped through the lower branches and tree trunks, skillfully avoiding the poisonous animals and diffusing any traps he saw hiding away in the leaves. Sakura took the higher branches to keep an eye on the both of them but kept her own eye out for any sign of enemy teams or natural predators.

Every once in a while they would come across another team that had already fallen to a trap. Bodies slumped over with kunai imbedded deep in their skin, the blood already dried. Whatever valuables they had were taken as well as the scrolls they had died protecting. Team Seven never lingered in one area for long and would move on quickly.

Naruto would leap over tripwires, dodge falling rocks and kill any animal that got in his way. It was his hope that they would arrive at the tower just as night was setting in. He was also hoping that they wouldn't encounter any more opponents although with Sasuke back up, their chances of victory went up too.

_'But he is too unpredictable now to rely on..'_ Naruto thought with a glance upward, seeing the Uchiha jump over his head.

A whistle from overhead indicated Sakura saw something coming so Naruto quickly sidestepped and melded with the shadows the trees cast. Sasuke hid among the leaves that covered the branches, watching for any sign of approach. They watched as a single figure appeared on the forest floor and two of the three members relaxed their guard.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he identified Kabuto Yakushi as he waited for them to come out. With another sharp whistle, he indicated it wasn't friendly and readied his blade. The other Konoha ninja just looked around in the trees as he knew they were close but did not know exactly where. He must have expected them to come out peacefully but Naruto wasn't so naïve.

Even if he wasn't there for his team's scroll it was clear that he was a spy for Orochimaru. Taking him out under the guise of the Second Exam's rules would be a perfect excuse for his death. Using the shadows, Naruto crept through the brush on his approach.

Sakura had been the one to spot Kabuto first but didn't know exactly what his intentions were. When Naruto gave the warning that he wasn't friendly, she stayed in the treetops waiting for someone to make a move. It looked like the older genin hadn't spotted them yet so she decided her advantage would be surprise.

Kabuto tried to listen for them but they weren't even making any sounds. What he thought was Sasuke's team could have fooled him into an ambush that he didn't have time for. Orochimaru wanted to make sure Team Seven got to the tower safely so he had been ordered to accompany them but it seemed a fight was the thing waiting for him instead.

_'Seems like they won't be fooled as easily as I thought.'_

Kabuto waited until the inevitable attack began and he didn't have to wait long. Kunai launched from the trees above forcing him to roll away. A presence behind him made his head twist around in time to see the flash of a blade cross his vision. He was able to push the attack away and grapple the wrist but not for long.

Naruto initiated a counter and broke his wrist free, grabbing Kabuto's arm and throwing him over his shoulder and onto the ground. Momentarily stunned, Kabuto barely escaped another stab by rolling away and struggling back to his feet with Naruto close behind. They engaged in close combat with Kabuto countering his attacks, evenly matched.

Another barrage of kunai signaled another attack and Kabuto caught Sasuke's kick in mid-air. The Uchiha's sharingan flared and he twisted upside down, launching a strike at the spy's abdomen. Not expecting it, Kabuto took the hit and flinched. Sasuke crouched and rolled away letting Naruto get underneath Kabuto and send a kick right to his chin, launching him in the air.

Stunned, Kabuto watched as a shadow covered the fading sun from his eyes. Something above him was falling toward his body and he soon realized it was Sakura. He brought up his arms but was unable to completely block her kick that sent him flying down to the ground, landing in a heap. As he struggled to get up, his cracked glasses caught Naruto walking toward him with his blade out.

_'Dammit..they were actually able to ambush me?'_

Naruto was almost in striking distance when Sakura whistled again from a nearby branch. The blonde launched backward as a clone rose from the ground in front of the wounded Kabuto. Dozens more started appearing on the ground floor as well as the tree branches. They quickly were identified as some Ame ninja's attack and when Naruto effortlessly stabbed through one he realized it was just an illusion.

"Head for the tower!" Naruto ordered his squad as the clones started to converge on them.

He glared at Kabuto who was struggling to escape as well as fight off the clones. His death would have to come later it seemed that fate would have them meet again. As the clones began to envelope Naruto's body, grabbing at his robes, he disappeared forcing the Ame ninja to pursue or retreat.

Kabuto, being the weakest was the one they chased after. Bloody meat was in the water and the pirahnas were biting. He unwittingly gave Team Seven a free avenue to escape and arrive at the tower while he himself would be delayed by these annoyances.

_'I swear I'll get you back for this..Namikaze.'_

The curse was no sooner uttered in his mind as he dodged another kunai attack from the pursuing Rain ninja, intent on bloody revenge. He was going to have a difficult night and an even worse time when he finally reported in to Orochimaru.

000

And this chapter has been completed. A bit short but I'm a bit pressed for time as well as not wanting to start the preliminaries because it should have its own chapter or two. This detailed their process of getting through the Forest of Death with both scrolls in hand as well as the resolution of the Sound ninja, two love interests and their presence in the Forest, as well as exploring Anko's relation to the Namikaze and Naruto.

After I get some more votes in the current poll, expect a new poll up tomorrow asking for your predictions on Naruto's opponent in the preliminaries. Who do you think he will be paired to go up against and do you think he will win? Lose on purpose or finally be overpowered?

Let me know what you thought about the chapter in a review.

See ya.


	13. Snakes Among Us

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 13

Snakes Among Us

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Fun Fact: This story tops out at having my longest document of notes, ideas, and plot information at over 25 pages!

What's up guys, back again for another chapter of _Namikaze Assassin_. We left off with Team Seven heading for the tower in the middle of the Forest of Death. They left behind a wounded Kabuto who had been ordered to accompany them by Orochimaru only to fall into Naruto's trap. Although he barely survived, Naruto will not allow him to get away so easily.

This chapter we will see all MAJOR preliminary matches as in the ones that are directly changed by this story. The rest will be written in italics with participants and winners for the sake of keeping story flow going. I'm really excited as we fly through the Chunin Exam so we can move onto new settings, one of which being Hoshigakure!

There seems to be a popular demand for Anko and Ai to join the red head harem. My plan is that if this popular demand stays constant then I will fit a place for them as I left their romance ambiguous in my notes. I don't mind either way, it won't affect the story negatively or take away from the main romances chosen.

The main romances are TBA at the moment but I can tell you they will all be with Naruto by the end of Part I, each is around Naruto's age, and one is Sakura! This doesn't mean other red heads are excluded to join later in Part II but these three will be around Naruto the most and have the most "screen time".

000

_Forest of Death_

_Tower_

000

Ceiling high doors swung open as three shinobi walked inside, marveling at the architecture. They had finally made it to the end of the survival ordeal, a triumph that looked impossible only a day ago. Naruto knew that their trials were not over but for now they had time to relax their guard if only for a bit.

"Wow! So this is the finish line.."

The building itself wasn't spectacular, Sakura was just showing relief toward being at the end of the test.

"Yeah, looks like we made it somehow.."

Sasuke mentioned as he reflexively grabbed his neck in pain. It seemed the seal was still having an effect on him. Naruto had a deep knowledge of the mark itself from studying Anko's, he also knew the risks involved with it.

There was a one in ten chance Sasuke could have died once it was placed on him although it seemed, unfortunately, that Orochimaru's bet worked. It became a mirror for the rogue ninja to speak to Sasuke as well as give him powerful chakra at the cost of his freedom and sanity. The longer it stayed unlocked the more danger he was to everyone in the tower.

Naruto eyed Sasuke as he and Sakura walked ahead of him to the next set of doors. His blade finger twitched on instinct; if it came down to it, he would kill the Uchiha if necessary. It wasn't what he wanted to do but the risks were too great to not consider all options.

"Oi."

Naruto looked toward the door and saw it had instructions for using their scroll. He answered Sasuke's call by revealing the two scrolls and handing one to him while he took the other. In unison they opened them and felt the parchment jerk from their hands and fall to the ground.

A small explosion of smoke marked the usual signs of a summoning technique. The three genin stood together as the smoke cleared, preparing for a fight. The sight of their sensei smiling at them was an odd but welcome greeting after the ordeal they had been put through.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shouted, actually happy to see him.

The silver haired man gave a simple wave.

"Yo."

His eye opened and wandered over them and immediately noticed their disheveled appearance, it seemed they had quite a hard time out there. He also noticed Sasuke's hold over his neck and Naruto expressing a cautious gait he only used when near something dangerous. What happened to them?

"Well, this is the part where I congratulate your arrival and talk about how your teamwork and individual strengths came together perfectly. Seeing your appearance and how obvious it was you earned your place here, I think that all goes without saying."

They sagged their shoulders in relief as the doors opened behind their teacher. As he waved for them to follow he turned and began to walk into the tower. In his mind he was proud to be their teacher and see how far they had come in such a short time. It would be the first time all genin squads of their generation came together in one place and he couldn't wait to see the reactions from the other Jounin.

_'They have earned this..easily.'_

It wasn't long after walking through a few hallways and lobbies they came across a large arena where the rest of the genin were assembling. As Sakura and Sasuke walked over to form their team's line, Naruto lingered with Kakashi as the older man realized he had something important to say.

"What is it Naruto?"

Although it was subtle the two gave off the aura of two men talking, not a boy to a teacher. It was a mutual respect that Kakashi and Naruto offered one another; one from respect of their past together and his father while the other from his respect of power and experience. It was thanks to this trust that Naruto felt comfortable warning the Jounin about Sasuke and his mark.

"Sasuke is in danger. We met Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and.." Kakashi's eyes widened before relaxing, he had been expecting it no matter how much he wished it wouldn't happen.

"He received a curse mark, it needs to be sealed immediately. Sasuke already allowed it to take over once..if he does it again it might be too late to stop."

Kakashi held his chin in thought, it seemed Naruto had given it thought and understood the gravity of the situation. He expected no less from his sensei's son but still..the calm he offered after facing against a world class criminal was astounding. After the exam he would be sure to speak with him further to make sure he was alright but until then he had to allay the blonde's concerns.

"I understand. Once Sasuke is free from his preliminary I'll take him, but not before. It's risky to leave it unattended, however, it will raise suspicion if I take him away now."

Naruto looked over at the assembly and saw the Hokage and Anko coming in with a few other instructors. Kakashi looked around and saw the other Jounin and picked one out with particular suspicion, narrowing his gaze. The Oto ninja seemed to be looking right at Sasuke as if peering into his soul.

"You think Orochimaru is among us."

Naruto finished Kakashi's sentence making the man look back at him. The blonde returned his gaze and nodded, glancing over at the Oto Jounin and crinkling his nose, the scent was the same.

"I agree."

"Naruto, I understand your obligation as an assassin but don't make any hasty action against Orochimaru. You know he was holding back in the forest, you wouldn't last a minute if he willed it. Let us handle him."

Naruto just nodded.

"I'm driven but not stupid Kakashi. The Creed determines that Orochimaru should die but not when, I'll bide my time." He looked up at his teacher and gave a grim smile. "Hurry if you want to be the one to kill him though, an assassin can strike at any time."

Kakashi watched as his student walked over to join the rest of the genin. It wasn't long before he realized their conversation was the thing holding up the introductions and made the Jounin hurry into his position behind the Hokage. Eyes wandered between the Namikaze and Kakashi, old and young ninja alike. Even more eyed the Namikaze with suspicion and awe including the other Jounin instructors.

"A Namikaze?.." Asuma whispered, not believing his eyes.

"Yes..he was quite a sight in Wave." Kurenai added, remembering his skill against Gato's thugs.

"You know him Kurenai?" The Sarutobi questioned only to receive a shrug.

"Not personally. He is Kakashi's student. I just had the pleasure of watching him work."

Eyes then turned to Kakakashi who just kept up his laid back pose, ignoring them. Even Gai was stunned into silence, no witty comebacks or challenges from him.

The Hokage coughed to garner their attention and made the Jounin stand in rigid attention.

Hiruzen nodded to Anko, it was time to start.

000

_Tower_

_Assembly Room_

000

"First off, congratulations on passing the second exam."

Anko announced through her headset, broadcasting her voice through the speakers placed around the room. While she claimed that out of the eighty students she would make half drop out, she had expected less than a dozen to remain. With twenty one it meant she had some work to do for the next exam to make it even more difficult, or this group was just lucky.

_'Considering Naruto-sama among the winners, I would say its more than luck.'_

She winked at the assassin when his eyes met hers; the blonde nodded in response.

Shikamaru looked around and saw the grisly faces of those remaining and knew it was going to be a tough fight no matter who he was paired with. He could only hope the other battles went by slow so he could have some time to gather his thoughts, being thrust into fighting was his idea of a drag.

"Can't believe this many are left..why do all the creepy strong ones have to make it?" He said mostly to himself.

"Man I am so hungry.." Choji mumbled behind him, holding his stomach in obvious pain.

"Is that all you can think about right now? You should be fearing for your life not thinking with your stomach!"

Choji just grumbled a response to Shikamaru who could only sigh and hold his forehead in disappointment, what had he deserved to be here?

Ino looked over and smiled upon seeing Sasuke back to normal. When they saw him with that cursed chakra they weren't sure what had happened but it seemed like everything was back to normal. Now that her crush was here there was no way she could lose to anyone, not even Sakura.

She eyed the hooded girl a few rows over with suspicion. Did she really not like Sasuke? She must be crazy and it had something to do with that Namikaze. The way he threatened them back in the forest she had no doubt he was a bad influence on her rival.

_'If we fight, I might just knock some sense into her.'_

"Your squad may have potential but with mine here they won't be going any farther." Gai whispered to Kakashi as they looked over the assembled genin.

"I mean, I understand if you are intimidated. I would be too with such a lineup trained by yours truly.." The silver haired Jounin made no attempt to respond to the others gloating.

"You say something?"

Kakashi looked at Gai with an innocent look on his face making Gai fall into a bout of frustration.

_'WHY MUST YOU BE SO HIP KAKASHI?'_

Tenten looked over toward her sensei to see him arguing with another Jounin, presumably the rival he spoke so highly of.

_'So that is Kakashi, Gai-sensei's eternal rival. He definitely surpasses him in looks but I wonder..'_

"Gai-sensei is the coolest teacher here, he is practically shining!" Lee said with confidence, also noticing their sensei.

_'Wait for me Gai-sensei, I will shine as well!'_

Lee glanced over to Sakura and noticed she looked well, even after the Oto ninja ordeal. He was unable to show his true strength during that battle and prove his feelings, but he promised to do better during the arena. Sakura would have to watch him and when she did, she would see him for who he was.

Rock Lee, perfect boyfriend number one!

As happy tears streamed down the bowl cut's face, violet eyes wandered. Neji nodded to himself as he finished observing those around, it seemed he was correct to think that all those with strength were the ones to remain. His eyes locked onto Sasuke and then wandered to Naruto, those two were the ones he truly wanted to fight.

_'Once I prove myself against them, my destiny will truly show itself. No one can defeat me as it is how fate has foretold.'_

Temari's eyes wandered to the assassin again as her thoughts rudely reminded her of their first encounter. So he survived the second exam, it would only make things more difficult for them. It wasn't hard for her to see that Gaara had been more and more unstable since first seeing him and an angry Gaara meant bad news for all of them.

Baki looked Gaara over and saw as he expected, no wounds.

_'Just as I expected Gaara, no incidents in the forest. The first phase is going along nicely..'_

The red head looked over at Naruto and slowly a smile came over her face, surprising the Suna ninja. He watched as her body twitched and the gourd on her back shook as the sand fought to release itself on her whim. It was a miracle she kept her killer intent veiled enough to not alarm the others but to those with experience handling Gaara, they knew well what she was thinking.

_'Its almost time assassin..'_

Kurenai looked over her own squad and noticed that Akamaru was behaving oddly. He hid inside Kiba's coat and was openly whimpering which was never a good sign. She wondered what was enough to spook the usually excited and energetic pup.

Kiba looked down at Akamaru and growled protectively, it was thanks to that red head his friend was so scared. He knew she was bad news and only hoped no one had to fight her, even if that was naïve. After seeing what she could do to those Ame ninja there was no doubt in his mind there was something wrong with her when all she could do was smile.

_'Let's just hope we don't have to fight her buddy.'_

Hinata was one of the many others who had their attention on the Namikaze but not for selfish reasons. She was only glad to see he had made it unharmed. With how nice he was to her and the others in Wave not to mention the stories her father told of his clan, it was only natural for her to be concerned. The heiress hoped he did well in the coming finals.

_'Good luck Namikaze-dono.'_

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked over the genin present and understood why each Jounin put their names forward, it was clear in their posture and auras of confidence why they passed. If anyone questioned the decision earlier they only had to see these genin to know it was the right choice after all.

He was also proud to see Naruto following in his father's footsteps and taking his place in the exam as Minato did long ago. The more he saw Naruto the more he was reminded of Minato, but in a good way. He could only hope his future would turn out differently though.

"We will now hear an explanation of the third exam from the Sandaime." Anko announced, quieting the background conversations and forcing eyes to the front.

"Hokage-sama, if you would."

When motioned to, the Hokage walked forward a bit and cleared his throat. It was customary for the Kage hosting the event to give a speech to those in attendance and it was to his pleasure he could so for this particular group.

"The third exam will soon begin. Before that however, I wish to share with you the true purpose behind these exams."

Eyes wandered, true purpose? Spreading cooperation and peace wasn't the whole story?

"The words "To spread cooperation and trust." and to "achieve a higher level of ninja" should not be allowed to fool you. The real purpose is.." He smoked his pipe, exhaling smoke from his mouth.

"The epitome of war between shinobi nations."

Surprise overcame a few while most others either didn't care or already understood or presumed the fact.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked, not understanding.

The Hokage tried to word it in a simpler manner.

"If you look in the past of our nations, you will notice we have been at war often. For times like now where it is peaceful, military resources are put to use in a different manner than all out war. You must understand that shinobi are first and foremost military and without conflict, we are only a waste on the economy."

That was a wake up call for some to think that their entire existence had no purpose other than fighting. It was a reminder that shinobi had reason to call themselves tools of war as that was all they were to the government. Naruto knew that the assassins were always seen as a wild card in the case of governments, directly uncontrollable but if accepted into ninja villages like the Namikaze were can make for strong war assets.

It made him feel happy for once to be different than those around him who were locked in servitude. Like an eagle he was free to fly where he pleased while the others were shackled. He hoped he would be able to free a few of them from that fate though, like Sakura.

"Anyway, to alleviate that waste we come together during times of peace for exams and joint exercises, demonstrating our might against one another. This not only allows us to expose young shinobi to the dangers of their duties but also can bring an economic boon to our nations."

"The ninja who perform well during the exam will be observed by visiting dignitaries and high ranking officials during this final part of the exam. Them performing well will make their village and country appear strong and increase the amount of jobs sent to them, stimulating their economy."

"But aren't we fighting for the chance to become Chunin?" Kiba yelled in frustration, he found the explanation difficult to follow.

"Yes, you are. But you are also fighting as a representative of your village and your country. Depending how well you do, your country can become stronger or weaker."

Naruto stifled a scoff and the Hokage looked at him.

"Is there something you would like to add Namikaze-san?"

"I just think its odd how you justify to these genin you are putting them in danger just for the sake of earning political clout. You literally throw them into a supervised war scenario with only the incentive of being promoted when you realize that the government only sees them as statistics."

The older ninja remained quiet as the assassin did have a point, only making some of them more annoyed with him. Hiruzen could only hide his smile with his hat, Naruto hit the nail on the head and he was thankful. The sooner his fellow genin woke up to the truth the better, sometimes it took the words of someone their age to bring it home.

And it was true, Naruto made the stragglers understand perfectly what was being expected of them in the exam. While it shook their confidence they realized there was nothing to be done about it now.

"I understand your reasons as they are the only proper way to conduct yourself in the world of ninja. I do disagree on how you wait until now to provide them with this information and attempt to hide your true motive. If you are going to chain them to your village and force them to fight for you, the least you can do is be honest."

Hayama stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at the Namikaze.

"That is enough out of you assassin! How would someone like you expect to understand-"

The Hokage held up his hand for quiet and the older Jounin backed down, reluctantly.

"Thank you for your opinion Naruto. It is good that you are among this batch of genin, it isn't often enough the system is questioned so blatantly and you are right in its faults. It is my hope that future generations will be able to change the illusion of peace we have now into something more real."

Naruto knew that dream well enough, it was the same as all assassins who swore upon the Creed.

"I don't care, just tell us what this next exam is."

Eyes turned to Gaara as she spoke with clear impatience. Although disrespectful, Hiruzen knew he had derailed the conversation far enough from its original point of explaining the third exam.

"Very well, I will now-"

Another Leaf Jounin appeared in front of the Hokage and bowed respectfully.

"Apologies Hokage-sama, but as the instructor I would like to do the honors."

"Very well Hayate, you may do so."

The Jounin got up and turned to view the genin, deep rings under his eyes and chronic cough made it clear he was not well. Some began to question he was in good enough condition to host the final exam but they were put to rest when the man spoke.

"Hello everyone." He greeted the genin respectfully. "My name is Hayate Gekko and I will be your proctor for this third exam."

With him he carried a clipboard with everyone's names collected upon their entry. He did a quick look over their squads and then fell into a coughing fit before going on to speak.

"One thing I must tell you before we begin is that these are to be considered preliminary rounds and do not count toward the Chunin selection process. If you are eliminated here, you are out for the duration of the exam."

Surprise and shock swept through most genin present. After coming so far they still weren't even in the position to be selected for Chunin?

"What do you mean? Are you saying we made it through the previous exams for nothing?" Shikamaru shouted, tired and frustrated of being there only to find out there was more to do.

Hayate coughed and held up his hand for peace.

"You have made it this far and proven you are worthy of participating in the third exam. With this many of you however, we will have to hold preliminaries to cut down your numbers to half."

They quieted down and listened to the older ninja as he explained.

"As Hokage-sama said we have many high ranking officials and dignitaries that will observe you during the third exam held in the arena. They are not known for their patience so we can't have that many matches."

It seemed there was no way to get around it so the genin gave in and allowed him to continue.

"Now, because there is an odd number of you we will have to.."

"I quit."

Everyone focused on Kabuto as he raised his hand and smiled. Hayate looked through his clipboard to find his name while some of the Konoha genin looked worried. Already one of their fellows were quiting?

The Oto Jounin smiled and watched as Kabuto conceded.

"You are Konoha's Kabuto Yakushi, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. You see I'm wounded and tired from the previous parts of the exam and I don't think I can participate. My apologies."

Naruto saw through his calm and friendly demeanor. It was true he had been wounded but Naruto couldn't smell blood on him, he had healed his own wounds and recuperated long ago. The only real reason he could be resigning was to not attract unwanted attention to himself and possibly to get away from Naruto.

_'It won't be that easy you little snake.'_

"_Anko."_

Naruto activated her seal and spoke to her mind as if he was whispering in her ear. She seized up for a moment in surprise but then concentrated to speak back.

"_Yes Naruto-sama?"_

"_Once the exams are underway, keep track of Kabuto. Tell me when he's alone..I need to finish what I started in the forest."_

Her eyes opened in surprise, she looked at Naruto in shock. Was he suggesting carrying out an assassination in the tower?

"_That is dangerous! With this many high ranking ninja, you can easily be caught. It won't make my job easy to protect you with that many.."_

Naruto just smiled.

"_Don't worry, I'll be discreet. Keep me informed Anko."_

The link was disconnected as Hayate spoke up.

"May I assume there are no others who wish to retire?"

Silence met him. With a final approval from the Hokage, Hayate continued onto the actual exam.

"Then let's begin shall we? These will be one on one matches, as in real combat. With twenty of you we can have a successful ten matches which will lead the final ten to go onto the third exam."

"There are no rules, you may use whatever jutsu or equipment you have on you to defeat your opponent. The match will go until one person is killed, knocked unconscious, or gives up. If necessary I will step in to stop a fight to prevent unnecessary death."

Hayate explained the rules and it frightened a few of those present. They were going to be fighting people who might be their friends to the death. To others it was a change for the better as they wanted to get right to fighting those present.

"To determine those who will fight.." Hayate turned and nodded to Anko.

She keyed her mic and spoke to the control room.

"Open it."

A part of the wall slid away to reveal an electric bulletin board.

"The bulletin board will display the names of two fighters picked at random to fight one another. Now..without further delay I will show the first match."

Eyes wandered to the board as names began to flash in front of them. Sweat began to pool as anxiety and fear filled the room with some excitement and bloodlust. As soon as they started, two names appeared before the board and made eyes wander to the first combatants.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Akadou Yoroi, please step forward and we can begin the first match."

000

_Sasuke vs. Yoroi_

_Sasuke is victor._

000

_Kankuro vs. Misumi_

_Kankuro is victor._

000

_Naruto Namikaze vs. Gaara_

000

Sakura gasped when she saw the names that came up next, _her_ Naruto was going up against that girl Gaara. The first time they met her they could already tell there was something wrong with her but now they were actually going to fight? It didn't help she saw the glances Gaara gave him during the assembly, it looked like she really wanted to hurt him, maybe even kill.

Kakashi was still out with Sasuke sealing the curse mark so it was only Sakura to cheer him forward. That wasn't entirely true as there were a few rooting for him in their own way. Hinata perked up and looked over toward the blonde when it was called, wishing him luck. Karin moved to the railing with interest in the coming battle hoping to see the assassin do well.

Even the Hokage and Anko looked up at the young assassin wishing him well in the coming fight. The rest of the genin were counting themselves lucky they weren't the ones to have to fight against either of them.

"Naruto..are you sure about fighting her? There is something off about that girl.."

Naruto moved toward the railing with Sakura, watching the Suna squad. Gaara was totally ignoring whatever words they were saying to her, he watched as her eyes locked onto his. Her gaze screamed murder and her smile turned from excited to bloodthirsty.

There was no way he was going to avoid this fight.

"I won't be stopped here, not by her. Don't worry Sakura.."

He felt a tug on his robe and turned to face her. Gloved hands enveloped both of his cheeks and held him in place for a kiss to his lips. Sakura backed off shortly after but made her point clear to him; come back alive or else.

"Good luck."

Naruto smiled.

"Yeah."

He leaped off the balcony and landed in the arena. Gaara was enveloped in sand and reappeared on the floor below, just a few feet away from her opponent. Naruto's smile disappeared as their gaze met one another and he became serious, mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead.

"I have waited long enough for this.." She said in her usual monotone voice, belying the emotion behind the smile she was giving him.

"There is something terribly wrong with your attitude. Your killer intent is enough to choke a child to death..I'm not sure if I can let someone like you roam free."

Naruto got into a half crouch stance with his hidden blade arm in front and ready to rush forward. Gaara's cork fell from the gourd on her back and sand began to ooze out, signifying her readiness to fight.

Hayate looked between the two and realized there was quite some animosity between them. Even then, the rules dictated that the battle must be fought and so he stood between them and placed his arm down to signify them being ready.

"The third match between Naruto Namikaze and Gaara will begin...now!" Hayate threw his arm up and leaped away allowing the fight to begin.

Everyone moved to the railings, unable to hide their anticipation for the match's outcome. Eyes watched as the two just stared each other down for the first few seconds before Naruto made the first move.

The assassin darted forward with speed none so far had demonstrated, his image barely visible to even the Jounin present. He reached into his robe and obtained kunai and shuriken from his waist pouch, grabbing two handfuls of them. As he got close, Gaara's sand began to snake across the room in an attempt to reach him.

Naruto let one handful of kunai loose before leaping into the air to avoid the sand. He watched with little surprise as the fast projectiles were blocked by Gaara's sand and noticed she didn't move at all. Spreading the kunai he had left through the webs of his fingers, Naruto decided to test the ultimate defense.

One kunai was launched while he was still in midair, forcing the sand upward to block. Naruto threw another directly behind her and then ran around to her side, throwing two more. Just as the sand blocked the top kunai it spread to cover her behind and side from attack. Naruto's last kunai was launched again to her front while the other three were stopped.

Inches from her face, the sand at her feet launched up and enveloped the kunai. It was then that everyone noticed the flash of an exploding tag and sand scattered around the arena. Naruto made sure he was separated by a good length of the arena as he observed his attack.

While it had failed, he had determined the speed of her defensive sand as well as noticed the beginnings of a pattern in its movement. If he could follow the pattern or increase his speed enough, his attacks could get through to her.

The red head had not moved since landing on the arena floor, arms crossed and eyes bored. With a yawn, she smiled toward the assassin and spoke sending chills down many of the other genin's spines.

"Are you done?"

Naruto wasn't fazed. He calmly got back into his half crouch stance and readied his hidden blade. Naruto also grabbed one of his curved blades from his back for use in the other hand.

"Looks like I will have to increase my speed."

Now that comment made a few Jounin and Chunin turn their heads. That meant to say the speed he displayed wasn't his fastest? It was already hard enough to track him.

Anko smiled, they were about to get a real show from Naruto.

Gaara lost her smile and waited with some impatience for his attack to begin. In the blink of an eye he disappeared from the spot he was standing in and then reappeared right in front of the red head with his blade poised to strike. Sand came up and blocked the strike and made him disappear, reappearing at her side with another attack.

Gaara's eyes widened as her sand had trouble moving fast enough to block the attack, his blade merely inches from her skin when the sand latched on and stopped the slice. Naruto disappeared and came from behind this time, the sand unable to move in time.

The scimitar came down and made a cut across Gaara's shoulder, spraying blood just as the sand reached the blade. Naruto disappeared again while Gaara hesitantly brought her hand back and touched the cut that was made purposely to bleed her, not cause damage. When she brought it to her face to look at the red stuff on her, she realized it was blood.._her blood._

Naruto reappeared on the wall behind her, balancing on it with his chakra. He sheathed the blade and quickly began going through hand signs. Everyone was shocked at how he had gotten through her defense, especially the Suna shinobi.

"Gaara-chan! Behind you!" Temari shouted to her sister as it looked like she was still in shock as Naruto readied his attack.

"**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" Naruto held his two hands up, palms faced forward and unleashed a powerful gust of wind at her back.

The sand came up and reflected the gust, offering the girl a shield. It used up most of her defense though and left her vulnerable as Naruto kept up the attack. Out of the corner of her eye, Gaara turned to see another Naruto running at her. Panicking, she brought her hand up and guided what sand remained to attack him.

The sand shot out like a tidal wave and the Naruto grabbed one of the throwing knives from its vest and threw it at Gaara before being covered by the sand. The blade was too fast for the sand to stop even if there was some to defend her. On reflex her eyes closed as it got close and she felt pain again across her cheek, warmth dripping down her face.

The knife had cut open a shallow wound across her cheek and was dripping blood. The sand quickly receded to return to her, revealing that Naruto had used a clone to throw the knife. He canceled the jutsu and disappeared as her sand attempted to return to her. Everyone leaned close and watched as the blonde landed in front of her in a low crouch as the sand struggled to reach him in time.

With one sweep of his leg, Gaara fell to the ground in a heap and he slid back before the sand could touch him. The girl struggled to stand as she battled with a new emotion, pain.

_'He's...playing with her?'_ Baki realized in horror.

With his speed he easily could have breached her defense and killed her by now. He was making her suffer these wounds on purpose. Was he trying to humiliate her?

"Dammit!" Kankuro squeezed the railing as he saw his sister losing.

_'Why isn't her sand armor stopping his attacks? Is his blade that sharp? I thought it might work on more than just taijutsu..'_

Naruto quickly retrieved the throwing knife that had imbedded itself in the statue of the arena. Replacing it in its correct spot, he decided that it was time to finish the fight. The last thing he needed to do was reveal too many of his abilities in front of all the other genin. His eyes tracked Gaara pointing both her arms at him as sand shot up in retaliation.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted as he leaped away only for the sand to follow him.

He looked on the ground below to see it was preparing to catch him there as well. A clone quickly appeared and threw him in another direction free of sand before being crushed by the attack. As soon as he hit the ground Naruto ran at her and created two shadow clones, weaving their way between each other to confuse Gaara into which one was real.

One Naruto went through hand signs while the other two charged forward, intent on attacking Gaara. The sand split into three arms as it raced to grab them.

"**Kaze no Yaiba!**"

The Naruto going through hand signs began to manipulate blades of wind from his hands as the other two got closer to Gaara. As the sand arms got closer, the jutsu sliced through them and forced the sand to fall to the ground, harmless.

In a last ditch attempt, Gaara manipulated the sand that was left for her defense and instantly made it into a spike, extending it through the heart of one Naruto. That split second it took to find out if it was a clone or not made everyone seize up and unable to breathe. When it popped, the final Naruto revealed its hidden blade and brought it up toward her neck.

He looked into her eyes and saw them lock onto the blade, then he noticed something odd. Her eyes went wide and dilated, as if she was remembering something shocking. Then in an unexpected turn of events, Gaara's eyes began to leak tears and she screamed loud enough to make Naruto flinch.

This stunned everyone into inaction as Naruto tried to stop his attack in time.

_Gaara was on the roof of her home. She had been invited there by her uncle even though it was past her bed time, being only six years old. _

_A shadowy figure in a tan robe appeared and ran toward her small body, a blade appeared from under his wrist._

"_Please die."_

_Sand covered her view and she blacked out._

When her eyes opened again, Naruto and Hayate stood above her. She was now on her back, lying on the ground.

"Hayate, please call the match. I don't think she is fit to fight after..whatever she remembered."

Naruto looked at his hidden blade then back at Gaara, confused.

The proctor looked her over and realized that the fight had been determined at the point Naruto had been able to get in range to kill her. Gaara had lost.

"Upon the fact that Gaara has collapsed and that only the restraint by her opponent allowed her to survive..I declare Naruto Namikaze the winner!"

Cheers erupted from the Konoha side as Gaara was defeated and one of their own found victory. Anko and the Hokage could both let loose their sighs of relief after seeing the short but intense battle was over. Even though Sakura had been worried about his fight against her, she was glad he did not have to kill Gaara. There was a chance there was good inside of her.

"You may return to the stands now."

Hayate said as Naruto seemed to linger, watching the Suna siblings help their sister back up to their side. He again looked at his blade arm and wondered what had happened in that girl's past to fear him. It must have deeply impacted her for Gaara to remember in the middle of their match at such a crucial point.

Gaara felt nothing as she was being carried away, in battle with her mind over that memory. That attack reminded her of uncle Yashamaru and how he had tried to kill her too. It was thanks to him she had realized no one in the world could truly love her and only sought to use her or let her die. She turned her head as they walked up the steps to get one last look at the Namikaze.

Him reminding her of that event only made her want to erase him from the world even more. If it wasn't bad enough before, her blood boiled at the sight of him and she could barely restrain herself from attacking.

_'I..I won't let you get away Naruto Namikaze..this isn't over. **This IS NOT OVER!**_'

Sakura smiled as Naruto effortlessly leaped back up to join her and the newly arriving Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Congratulations Naruto, we caught the last bit of the fight. Impressive way to get around her defense.." Kakashi said with Sasuke only grunting in acknowledgment.

"Yes, it really showed your skill in comparison to Suna's!"

Sakura tried to congratulate him but he seemed focused on his blade arm, sheathing and unsheathing the blade with the flick of his finger. Even if he heard the compliments, he did not smile or nod. His thoughts were stuck on the look of fear Gaara gave him right before he was to sink the blade into her neck.

_'Was I wrong? Did she not deserve death as I first suspected?..'_

He suddenly did not feel so satisfied with the victory given to him.

000

_Naruto Namikaze vs. Gaara_

_Naruto Namikaze is victor._

000

_Tenten vs. Temari_

_Temari is victor._

000

_Rio Suzuki vs. Shikamaru Nara_

_Shikamaru Nara is victor._

000

As Shikamaru returned to the stands with his victory over the Kusa ninja, Naruto felt a tingle in the back of his head. Sakura noticed him slightly stiffen in his place leaning on the wall, concerning her. He had been silent since his return from fighting Gaara, not even responding to her when she asked about his well being.

"_Anko, report."_

"_I've located Kabuto Naruto-sama. He is in guest lobby four, alone and what seems to be resting. Once you are there I will cut the camera as it should buy you some time."_

"_Understood, I will head there immediately."_

"_Be careful."_

"_Of course."_

Naruto unfolded his arms and got up from the wall catching the attention of his team. While Sasuke wasn't particularly interested, Kakashi and Sakura were getting increasingly worried about him.

"I have to go to the bathroom, excuse me." Naruto left without another word and made Sakura even more depressed.

Did she say something that upset him? Just when she thought she had him figured out, Naruto shows another side to his personality she doesn't know how to handle.

Kakashi eyed him as he walked off and knew something was off. He was willing to give the assassin some time though before he went off looking for him. From his past experience with Minato and the obvious nature of assassins, there was a reason Naruto was trying to get away from them.

_'Don't do anything stupid Naruto..'_

000

Kabuto applied some more ointment to a cut on his leg, making sure it was clear on the camera. He had inflicted the wound on himself shortly after leaving the arena to make it seem the least bit believable he quit. Now he just got to relax until the preliminaries ran their course or until Orochimaru gave him orders.

That was when the room got a bit darker and he thought the lights were going out. It was an old building so he wasn't surprised but it still didn't make him any happier. The light on the camera subtly flicked off and that was when he realized he wasn't alone. Slowly, Kabuto got up and moved to the center of the room with only a few wooden benches as cover.

Even then, this person knew how to hug the shadows and he was unable to find them at first. The killer intent only increased until the last second when the spy saw the glint of a blade shine off the lights. Twisting his body, Kabuto just barely missed the attack sent at him by Naruto. He grappled the outstretched wrist but was easily shaken off and was punched in the face.

Kabuto launched back and rubbed his cheek in obvious pain. It seemed the assassin hadn't gotten enough out in the forest and wanted to finish him. There was no room for error as he reached into his thigh pouch and retrieved the curved kunai he preferred to use.

"Come and get me."

Blades clashed and clanked against one another in the darkness. Both attackers launched at each other and both blocked the others attack forcing them to back away and try again. It was clear they were evenly matched in their current states, both weakened and tired from battles previous.

Naruto fed lightning to his hidden blade and cut through the curved kunai, forcing Kabuto to throw it away and weave out of his attacks. One missed slice forced the Oto spy to slide away and found himself being stabbed through the ribs by one of the assassin's clones, making him cough up blood.

With a quick elbow the clone was destroyed and Kabuto dropped to his knee. As one hand was enveloped in a light green chakra, Naruto realized he was going to try and heal himself. He launched forward only to realize too late it was a feint to pull him close; Kabuto grabbed his blade wrist and weakened the muscles, making that arm useless.

Before he could do more damage, Naruto brought up a leg and kicked Kabuto right in the face. Apart from destroying his glasses it sent him flying back into the wall. As blood trailed down his face from his nose and eyes where glass cut, Kabuto struggled to get up and face Naruto.

The blonde calmly attempted to use his left arm with the blade and realized it was useless for the moment. Balling his right hand in a fist he sent lightning chakra surging through it in one last attempt to strike the spy and kill him for good. As he approached the weakened Kabuto, Anko's voice flooded his head and footsteps could be heard.

"_Naruto! We've been dispatched to the lobby to find out what's going on, get out of there! I will try and stall."_

"Damn.." He whispered but saw his opponent in dire straits and decided to take the chance, continuing to make his way over to Kabuto.

"Such a naughty boy Naruto-kun." Their eyes widened as Orochimaru came out from the darkness behind Kabuto, smiling like a madman.

"I know you hate me but to wound my henchmen to the point of death..tsk tsk." Naruto scowled in anger, he was so close!

He leaped back as Orochimaru took a few steps forward, making the bloodied Kabuto look up at him and address his savior.

"Orochimaru-sama.." The white skinned man looked down at his accomplice and frowned.

"We will discuss your failings later Kabuto..for now I think we are all about to get in big trouble."

He held a hand up to his ear to put focus back on the fast approaching footsteps. The lightning in Naruto's arm dissipated as he knew this was a fight he could not finish.

_'I know I can't stand against Orochimaru, especially not in my condition. I could kill Kabuto right now but at the cost of my own life..which is not a worthy trade.'_

"Next time.." Naruto whispered before disappearing into the dark, leaving the two Oto ninja alone.

"Orochimaru-sama, you must leave.." Kabuto warned as the Leaf approached, he could not afford to be seen.

The twisted man only smiled.

"It seems you two are equal in strength..that interests me. I've always wanted to know how strong the assassins were. I never got the chance to dissect one for my experiments before being run out of the village."

He began to dissolve into the wall as the investigators were arriving.

"Don't tell them about Naruto. We will speak again soon after the fights are over."

"Yes..Orochimaru-sama."

He didn't understand the order but would obey nonetheless.

_'This year's genin truly are interesting..'_

000

_Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka_

000

Sakura saw her name appear on the screen and looked over toward Ino to see her reaction. She looked surprised but then caught the pink head's gaze and made a taunting face. While she didn't let it affect her she was worried that Naruto had yet to return. Kakashi had left to go see where he went and she was afraid he would miss her match.

_'I really wanted him to see how I improved..'_

Just before she leaped down to join Ino on the floor, she saw Naruto and Kakashi walk in together. Relief flooded her body seeing him alright and back in time for her match. That was when she noticed his limp arm and suddenly became concerned as to what happened while he was out.

Kakashi had his arm on Naruto's shoulder gently guiding him back up. He had picked Naruto up as he ran back to the arena and vouched for him when investigators questioned the blonde's whereabouts. It was obvious the ruckus was caused by Naruto but Kakashi couldn't stop Naruto from having an agenda of his own. It was just his job to keep him safe when he got into trouble he couldn't handle.

"Looks like we made it just in time for Sakura's match."

He pointed out to Naruto who only had eyes for her as she watched him approach. Naruto upped his pace and approached her, holding out his good arm and grasping her gloved hand tightly.

"I would wish you luck..but I know you won't need it."

Sakura smiled, as expected from her Naruto.

"Now go..and show them how you've changed."

"I will!"

Sakura leaped off as his grip faltered, allowing her to fall to the arena with grace. She walked forward and came to a stop a few feet from Ino, her old academy rival. Even though Sakura had yet to demonstrate her real abilities in front of her old friends, it was clear to everyone in the stands the two girls were vastly different from one another. One held herself with confidence and determination while the other seemed lost in her own world and sure of victory.

"Just give up forehead, there is no way you can win this!" Ino tried to taunt Sakura like she used to only to receive a glare in response.

"Those names won't work on me anymore Ino..I'm not the same Sakura from the academy."

The blonde put her hands on her hips, unconvinced.

"You may have changed clothes and changed who you like, but you are still the same old Sakura. You were only ever good at books and nothing else, you aren't cut out to be a ninja!"

Sakura slowly put her hood up to cover her face and readied herself in a similar stance that Naruto took against Gaara, blade arm up front.

"You were better off when we were fighting against Sasuke's affection. What possible goal do you have to work for now?"

Sakura remained silent for a moment before responding with a level tone.

"I will prove to everyone here that I am a different Sakura Haruno by defeating you here!"

Hayate glanced between them before quickly starting the match. The rivalry between the two girls was fierce and could be felt all the way from the stands.

Sakura quickly ran forward as Ino was still fishing for a kunai. The blonde was barely able to duck under the attack and pulled out a kunai to hastily parry Sakura's inspired assault. It was clear Sakura's speed had improved since the academy as her slices started to get through, cutting Ino's clothing and hair.

Sakura leaped back and reached into her waist pouch, grabbing and throwing numerous shuriken and kunai at her opponent. Ino rolled out of the way but was kept on the defensive as Sakura relentlessly threw kunai and shuriken at her everywhere she retreated to.

Sakura ran forward to charge Ino, going through hand signs. The blonde pulled out kunai of her own as the assassin in training created clones of herself and made them weave among one another. Confused which one was Sakura, Ino threw the kunai at two clones just as they ran toward her sides, the kunai going through them effortlessly and revealing the middle one as the real Sakura.

With a punch to the gut, Ino was launched back and forced into taijutsu with Sakura. She was quickly overwhelmed and unable to stop her spirited attacks. She wasn't using academy taijutsu they learned together, it was a completely unique style taught to her by Naruto!

A kick to her side sent Ino flying away from her opponent. She knew that she could not win in a test of ability so she would try and win on a technicality.

Sakura brought her hidden blade to a bandolier that was tied tightly to her left thigh, opposite of her kunai pouch. She sunk the blade deep into one particular vial and made the tip drip with a concoction gifted to her by Naruto. It would help her end the battle quickly against Ino as she did not want the battle to drag on.

Ino slowed herself and went through the correct hand signs as Sakura retracted her blade and went through the same hand signs for clones. She would have to hurry or else she might launch herself at the wrong one! Desperately, Ino watched Sakura create a few clones as they began to run at her crouching form.

Locking her sights on the correct one, Ino began the Mind Transfer jutsu and hoped she would reach Sakura before she reached her body. The clones again weaved in and out of each other and it was almost impossible for Ino to guide herself once in the ethereal state.

Sakura was only a few feet from her body when Ino reached her..only to fly through her body.

_'A clone! No!'_

Sakura revealed her hidden blade just as Ino returned to her body, closing her eyes on reflex. She felt the blade slice her skin and soon lost all control of her body, slumping over.

"I can't hurt someone I considered a real friend. This was the best way I could think of to end the fight." Sakura stood in front of her, taking off her hood so they could see one another clearly.

"How.." Ino could barely talk let alone move but Sakura understood nonetheless.

"It was because of Naruto that I actually woke up and realized I wasn't accomplishing anything and that I was weak. Then he offered to train me and..gave me the support I needed and gave me the love I always wanted."

Ino was surprised when Sakura got a cute smile on her face as she talked about Naruto. It seemed as if she was unable to keep her feelings to herself as they practically gushed out.

"If I kept loving Sasuke, I would never gotten this far. That's why its your turn to wake up and change Ino.."

The medical team ran over and started to put her on the stretcher. Sakura waved goodbye and said her final piece of advice to Ino before she was taken away.

"Change so we can become real friends again..I can wait."

Sakura returned to the top and hugged Naruto tight. He was surprised by the affection but did his best to return it with his one good arm, the other was still healing.

"What's this for?" He asked, confused.

Sakura looked up into his eyes, seeing them clearly even under his hood. She smiled.

"Everything."

000

_Shino Aburame vs. Mita Sato_

_Shino Aburame is victor._

000

_Hinata Hyuuga vs. Neji Hyuuga_

000

Naruto moved to the railing as the battle winded down, Hinata was on the defensive and Neji was relentless against her. It was as if he was taking out all his hatred of the main branch on the poor girl and it unsettled Naruto's stomach. Everyone around was concerned at the ferocity of Neji's attacks and strikes on Hinata and knew he was going too far.

"Juken!"

Neji's final strike on Hinata forced her to her knees in pain and Neji thought the fight over. As he began to walk off, the Hyuuga girl looked up to see everyone watching her. Her eyes passed from Kiba and Kurenai to Sakura and Naruto. She saw his look of anger or annoyance and wondered if it was directed to her, was he disappointed?

Was this all she could really do? She couldn't even perform as well as Sakura, let alone another heir like Naruto. The main branch would be shamed if this was truly the limit she allowed herself to stop at. Something about their gazes gave her the strength to unsteadily get back to her feet even as she coughed up blood.

Naruto uncrossed his arms and leaned on the railing, surprised.

Neji turned back around and saw her getting back up. He couldn't believe his eyes, what was she thinking?

"Give up! Its over, you can't even use the Gentle Palm in your condition."

Hinata stood her ground, giving a pained glare at Neji as she held her side.

"I will..defend the main branch..and show my strength!"

Her eyes softened as Neji began to get angry hearing her defend the "honor" of the main branch.

"Please cousin..accept my strength."

"You little.." Neji broke into a run and released a heavy killer intent that raised the alert levels of all Jounin present.

Naruto leaped of the railing just as the others made their move to stop Neji. When the smoke settled in the arena, Neji was being held down by four Jounin and Naruto stood in front of Hinata in a protective pose.

"You will go no farther."

Hayate announced in front of the enraged Neji just as Hinata's heart began to fail, making her cough more blood. Naruto turned around and moved her arm over his shoulder, supporting her before she could fall.

"Hang in there Hinata.."

Kurenai ran over to them and tried to help but Naruto shrugged her off.

"Naruto, return to the stands at once and let me help my student!"

Naruto saw the medical team approaching and looked at Hinata who was looking back at him, confused.

"I can't do that."

Kurenai is shocked at his insubordination and looked to the Hokage for a response. Hiruzen just shook his head and asked for her not to meddle with Naruto. Kakashi stepped forward to defend his student.

"He is the heir to the Namikaze and has the right to help the Hyuuga heiress."

Kurenai could only watch as Naruto helped Hinata take the steps to the approaching medical team.

"Don't falter now Hinata. Everyone's eyes are on you, show them how strong you are."

Naruto encouraged her as they walked together.

"Why.." She mumbled, unable to speak more.

Naruto just smiled as they finally reached the medical team.

"That determination you showed at the end even in your position made me respect you Hinata. You meant every word you said to Neji didn't you? Even when you knew he might hurt you, you still showed compassion to him."

He laid her down onto the stretcher as the medics did a quick check over. Kurenai ran over and attended to her but her focus was only on Naruto's words.

"I believe in you Hinata and I know that you are strong. You proved that here today."

Before they took her out, the girl smiled.

"Thank..you Namikaze-dono."

"After today, you can call me Naruto."

Kakashi watched his student return to the stands, surprised by his reaction to the Hyuuga affair. Even though it seemed clear he didn't like the Hyuuga in a romantic sense, it was obvious that her performance made an impression on him.

_'She is lucky to have someone like him rooting for her.'_

000

_Rock Lee vs. Choji Akimichi_

_Rock Lee is victor._

000

_Kiba Inuzuka vs. Karin_

000

With her name called, Karin watched the opposite side of the balconies to see her opponent. It was the one in the heavy coat with a dog. According to Orochimaru's files he was of a clan that idolized dogs and used them in tandem with their attacks. She didn't know why she was bothering to observe her opponent as her lord's orders rang clear through her head.

_Karin..lose no matter what once you reach the third exam. We cannot afford your abilities being shown off lest someone recognize them. You are too valuable to be caught._

Under his orders she would have to forfeit immediately.

Her eyes wandered over to Naruto and saw him get up from the wall and lean on the railing. From the past matches she knew he only did that when he was interested in the upcoming fight. That meant he was interested in _her_! How would she look if she just gave up now?

Sakura noticed Naruto get up and move to the rail for Karin's fight, somewhat annoying her. That was the girl he had so much interest in from Kusa. Her face blushed a bit with jealousy and she quickly joined him on the railing to see what was so special about her.

Kakashi saw the whole interaction and stifled a laugh. So Sakura could get jealous.

_'Orochimaru..'_ Karin's eyes shifted to the ever watchful Oto Jounin near the Hokage and his entourage.

Karin leaped down to the arena and faced down her opponent. It couldn't hurt to put on a little show first and then pretend to suffer a wound and concede. Yes, that was her plan.

"I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl!" Kiba shouted and Karin just sighed.

"You stink..both your chakra and your body." She held her nose in disgust and Kiba looked himself over, not understanding.

_'I stink?..'_

Karin looked up at Naruto again to make sure he was watching and he indeed was. Hayate moved in between the two and started the match off quickly.

"**Tsuga!**" Kiba launched forward in a deadly spin but Karin easily dodged.

His attack was strong and fast, but it wasn't very accurate as she observed. Kiba kept up the assault and she soon realized his stamina would outlast hers and that she needed to go on the offensive. While she was not so good at managing her chakra for jutsu, Karin had skill with blades.

Kiba watched as she revealed two kunai and held them in an odd fashion, instead of holding it facing out to the side she wielded them from underneath her wrists. Not terribly concerned, Kiba again launched himself forward in a ferocious spin but watched as Karin gracefully dodged him and brought up her blades just as he came out of the attack.

The attack was fast and accurate, she stabbed him in the shoulders but pulled the blades out fast enough for them only to be shallow wounds. Kiba slid back and could just barely move his arms after that. Akamaru leaped from his vest as he knew Kiba was having trouble and needed to step up the attack.

_'She was stronger than she let on..her first attack and she gets me good in both shoulders.'_

Naruto leaned forward and tried to replay the fashion she attacked him with the kunai. It all seemed terribly familiar to him from the way she held the weapons to how she inflicted the wounds with fast and precise marks. She made the unwieldy throwing weapons into deadly melee weapons, a feat few could accomplish without extensive training.

This girl was more than he expected and it..unsettled him.

"**Jūjin Bunshin!**"

He turned his attention back to Kiba and saw him transform Akamaru into a clone of himself. It seemed he was preparing a stronger offensive against Karin who was already panting, obviously not used to long fights. The amount of pressure he put on her early in the match was catching up with her as her stamina ran dry and made it difficult for her to dodge attacks coordinated between the two.

She slid across the floor dodging Kiba only to be struck from behind by Akamaru, forcing her onto her back. Before he could go on to strike her she rolled away and tried to gain distance between them.

"**Gatsuga!**"

Kiba and Akamaru began to spin in unity to finish her off and Karin knew she had already done far more than Orochimaru would have been happy with. Too late to back down now, she thought she would use **that** to gain an upper hand. Karin concentrated her chakra to her eyes as she took off her glasses, ignoring the coming danger of Kiba and Akamaru.

Naruto watched with rapt attention as Karin's pure red eyes began to sparkle gold as she activated some ability. At first he thought he was seeing things but he quickly checked again and realized she was indeed using an eye ability, an ability he knew quite well.

Sakura heard his breath hitch and looked at him, surprised at the totally shocked face he was making. It was difficult to surprise or faze Naruto but apparently Karin had done something he had not been expecting.

_'How..how does she have that!'_

Karin locked onto Kiba and Akamaru's chakra as they approached, making them easier to track. The world slowed down as her reflexes increased to an inhuman level of speed and comprehension. Spinning her body, Karin launched the two kunai as Kiba and Akamaru were upon her.

They were just as fast as she expected and knew that the only way she could win was to take the hit. The kunai stabbed Kiba in his already weakened left shoulder and landed with such a force it actually moved his trajectory enough to just graze Karin's back. Akamaru was lucky and escaped with the kunai just scratching his face, allowing him to hit Karin full on and slice up her side and abdomen.

Naruto's breath caught as Karin coughed up blood and was sent flying across the ring. The attack had landed successfully on her by Kiba and he removed the kunai from his already wounded shoulder, just barely able to articulate his arms. When he got a look at Karin he seized up as he had not planned to hurt her that bad, it seemed Akamaru had been going too fast to stop himself from landing a full blow.

Before the medical team was even on the way Naruto and Sakura leaped down to aid Karin. Naruto had watched the whole thing and he knew the ability she had used would have allowed her to easily dodge _and_ hit both Akamaru and Kiba.

She had allowed herself to get hit and purposely missed vital organs on both Kiba and Akamaru. The question was why.

Kakashi watched as the two ran over to the Kusa ninja that they had developed some relationship with. He then looked back at the railing and his eye widened, Naruto had held it so hard it actually left indents in the steel. What could have affected him that much? The girl getting hurt or something else?

Kiba had also noticed Karin's ability and how she was easily able to track him at the speed he was going. If she wanted to she could have easily killed him or Akamaru, let alone dodge their attack. It made his victory feel all the more hollow as he walked himself off the battlefield after Hayate called the match.

"How..how did you.." Naruto couldn't even articulate his sentences properly to the wounded Karin as they quickly placed her on a stretcher.

Despite her grievous wounds on her side and stomach, Karin still managed to smile as they took her away. She was able to see a new face on Naruto, worry..worry about her. That was enough for her.

Sakura didn't understand what had made Naruto so surprised as the gold around her eyes had disappeared long before they got to her. To her it seemed he was just worried for her because he liked her.

"Don't worry Naruto..we can go visit her after the assembly is done."

Hayate was calling everyone to assemble for their explanation on what happens to the winners. Naruto allowed himself to be dragged over but kept his eyes on the exit long after she had been taken away.

There was writing on the wall and he was struggling to comprehend it.

000

"You will have a month to train and rest before the arena finals. Use this time wisely and prepare for your opponent that we have randomly assigned. Dismissed."

Hayate said after launching the winners into a rushed explanation of the actual third exam and drawing numbers for their arena matches. Sakura turned to Naruto and asked him what he wanted to do now but he only looked at her and responded.

"He'll be back soon."

She didn't understand what that meant, who would be back?

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hospital_

000

The hospital door slid open as Karin tried to rest from her wounds. The doctors had given her a heavy sedative that kept her from moving so she wouldn't disturb the recently patched wounds so the only thing she could do was try and sleep. She was too restless though as her mind wandered from impressing Naruto to fearing Orochimaru's repercussions by going against him.

Upon hearing the door open, she was able to angle her head and look over. The new arrival made her eyes widen and her struggle to move even though it was useless.

Kabuto smiled as he calmly strode to Karin's bedside and looked down at her. Her nose and mouth were covered by a respirator that supplied her with air and she looked quite banged up from her battle. After receiving his orders from Orochimaru, he had come to the hospital to accomplish two goals.

One was to capture Sasuke and the other..tie up loose ends.

"Orochimaru is most displeased Karin..you disobeyed his orders when he clearly told you to forfeit."

His eyes landed on a nearby scalpel and picked it up, eying the instrument with a deadly smirk.

Karin's eyes began to tear up as she realized he was there to kill her. Never before had she felt so helpless, damn the sedatives from keeping her down.

With a free hand Kabuto brushed a stray hair from over Karin's eye and back behind her ear. It was clear he took a sick pleasure from being in the superior position with such a helpless opponent.

"It is a shame it had to come to this..you were such a promising pupil and servant."

Kabuto brought the scalpel down toward her neck ready to slice the artery. Karin only closed her eyes, knowing she wouldn't feel anything but didn't want to give Kabuto the satisfaction of seeing her fear.

When nothing happened, she opened her eyes to see a leather glove over Kabuto's wrist, holding it in an iron pincer. They both looked over to see Naruto glaring murder at Kabuto from under his hood. Both were surprised to see him here and not at the arena. How did he get there so fast?

"Na..Naruto.." Kabuto said, genuinely surprised.

Karin couldn't believe it, the Konoha ninja came to her rescue? His grip intensified on Kabuto's wrist, forcing him to drop the scalpel or lose his hand. One phrase from Naruto told both spies just what was about to happen as his eyes met Kabuto's.

"I don't think so."

000

And that concludes this super long chapter of Namikaze Assassin. Believe it or not I was expecting this chapter to be lacking content but it seems it is overflowing with it! Let me know what you thought of the chapter in a review and also tell me what you think about using the Shippuden movies as possible chapters in Part II.

To allay concerns, Orochimaru was able to stay and observe even without his team in attendance as he had already been at the tower and requested to stay by the Hokage. The old man had no reason to refuse him anyway. Even if he wasn't allowed to stay in disguise he would have found a way to observe Sasuke from within the tower.

I'm playing around with the idea of a Mass Effect/Naruto crossover, let me know if that interests you.

Review!

See ya in _Mercenary for Hire_.


	14. Thorns of a Red Rose

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 14

Thorns of a Red Rose

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Hey guys, time once again for a chapter of _Namikaze Assassin_. As I haven't updated any of my stories in quite a while I'm sure you have had plenty of time to contemplate what this chapter might have in store. I am quite excited to be back to writing especially this story as its really a unique setting for Naruto and friends to be thrust into.

When they were last seen, the victors of the Preliminaries were being debriefed by the Hokage. With a moment to speak Sakura asked Naruto what his plans were, but he responded cryptically. We later found out the real Naruto had gone to find Karin in concern for her well being and interrupted Kabuto's assassination attempt.

We also can't forget about a few other unique occurrences that are unique to this story. One of which Gaara being defeated and humiliated during the Preliminary against Naruto. How will this change Suna's war plans and how long until her rage against the Namikaze boils over?

The second being the Sound squad was eliminated during the Second Exam. Zaku was killed and Dosu and Kin were taken to the Namikaze Compound for an unseen purpose in the Namikaze's plan. Now that it is time for Naruto to return to his home and train, how will he confront these two?

Let's read shall we?

000

_The Creed_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Forest of Death_

_Central Tower_

_Arena_

000

"Naruto, what do you mean?"

Sakura crinkled her brow, not understanding the assassin's words.

Before the clone could go on to explain, Ibiki Morino shouted for quiet as the gathered genin started to disperse. Eyes turned back to the front as Anko revealed a box filled with pieces of paper. With attention restored to the front of the room the Hokage cleared his throat and continued from where they left off.

"Now then, there is something very important we must do before the final exam begins. Anko, if you would."

Acknowledging the order the proctor stepped forward and forced attention to the box she was holding.

"Alright boys and girls, I'll come to you so no pushing or shoving and just pick one piece. Hold onto it until Ibiki-san calls for your number."

Simple enough the shinobi each waited their turn as Anko moved down the line. Each reached into the box without looking and revealed their number scrawled on the folded paper. All were quiet as they contemplated what their selection meant for them in the final exam and some like Kankuro and Naruto began to catch on before the rest.

The puppet user received his number, seven. He figured that it was to determine which participants would go up against one another. Whoever was number eight would be his opponent and so he subtly glanced left and right to find out who he may have to fight against.

Rock Lee took his slip with fire in his eyes barely able to contain the excitement. He was not sure what the purpose of the procedure was but he knew he would get the best score. Upon revealing his number as ten he felt that it was clearly the superior number and was meant to be picked by him. Eagerly awaiting victory Lee watched as Anko made her way to Naruto and Sakura and hoped they received good numbers as well.

Sakura reached in and received the number six, somewhat nervous about the whole ordeal. She still wasn't sure of the significance behind the numbers and waited for Naruto to receive his. If it was for what she thought the numbers were for she was sincerely hoping that Naruto and her would receive different numbers.

_'If I had to fight Naruto..I don't know what I would do.'_

Naruto received his and began to unfold the paper with little interest. As Anko moved down the line Sakura could only keep her eyes on Naruto's card and waited until she saw the number. At first not fazed it was only until the two looked at one another before they realized the situation they were in.

Naruto had received the number five; they were now opponents of one another.

Sakura's eyes widened in fear and anxiety, there was no way they could fight one another. They were on two different levels of skill and if not for his teaching she would never have gotten that far! There was no match where they knew each others skills, it was clearly stacked in one corner's favor.

Embodying his usual calm demeanor, Naruto's clone just smiled and placed a hand on Sakura's frozen shoulder. It made her look into his eyes hidden beneath his hood and revealed a small smile that served to placate her, if only for a moment.

"Don't worry Sakura, I have a plan."

The girl suddenly felt relief. If he said it like that, how could she do anything but trust him? Able to breath again they both faced forward and waited for the proctors to finish before Ibiki prepared a pen and began to call out for numbers.

After going down the row and marking each person's name down in the appropriate spot, Ibiki nodded to the Hokage.

"Please reveal the order in which the final matches will take place."

Given the order the Jounin turned the clipboard so that the genin could read the names. The results surprised some, satisfied others, and overall left a very tense atmosphere among those remaining. They now knew the names and faces of their opponents and could no longer find camaraderie in being finalists together.

_First Match_

_Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari_

_'Really, I have to go first? What a drag..knew I should have grabbed that second slip in my fingers.'_ Shikamaru just scratched his head and kicked the ground, frustrated.

Temari couldn't believe she was going up against that lazy guy and knew it would be a waste of her talent. She counted herself both disappointed and somewhat lucky she wasn't going against the assassin. Although she wanted nothing more to avenge her sister's embarrassing defeat she somehow doubted her skills could match.

_Second Match_

_Kiba Inuzuka vs. Rock Lee_

Although it was most definitely not his first pick, Kiba didn't feel too bad against going up against the Taijutsu user. Although Lee's performance against Choji had been short he saw how lethal he was up close and knew he would have to train hard to keep up.

Rock Lee for all his initial excitement remained quite calm upon finding out his opponent. All his energy was sapped when he realized he would not get to prove himself against a worthy opponent like the Namikaze or Neji. Still, he would consider the match a stepping stone in the right direction and tightened his fist in a symbol of determination.

_Kankuro vs. Shino Aburame_

Glances exchanged between the two but nothing else. One had little respect for the other and the other had no intentions of allowing his skill to get the better of his judgment. There was no room for mistakes in the Chunin Exams and Shino would not underestimate the puppet user.

_Naruto Namikaze vs. Sakura Haruno_

The other competitors had more surprise at this match up upon reveal than the two fighters did. After Naruto had instilled confidence in Sakura with a future plan to take care of the match, there was little that could shake the two from their masks of indifference.

_Sasuke Uchiha vs. Neji Hyuuga_

Neji smirked, a worthy challenge for him. Although it was not a clan lauded among the Hyuuga as the Namikaze were, it was the chance to prove who had the stronger doujutsu. It would also allow him to prove to everyone that there was such a thing as destiny and that there was no changing his.

_'I will have victory, it has already been written.'_

Now that they actually got a good look at the chart, Shikamaru noticed that the brackets implied it was some form of tournament. That meant it wasn't just their first opponent, if they won they would have to fight another person until they finally lost or received first place.

"I have a question."

The lazy genius raised his hand and had the Hokage bring attention to him.

"Yes, Shikamaru-kun?"

"If this is a tournament, does that mean that the winner is the only one to become a Chunin?"

The Hokage smiled as he was glad the question was asked.

"No, any participant has an equal chance to become a Chunin regardless if they win or lose. The selection is based off numerous factors including displays of skill, cunning, and strength when facing your opponent. Just defeating them is not enough to guarantee selection."

This was new information as they had expected it to be a more linear contest. If they had to display all of these characteristics during battle then they would benefit more from winning to allow themselves more chances to show their skill. If they only received one performance it would be difficult to show themselves off, however, they would get sloppy further into the tournament as their stamina decreased.

Needless to say they would have to make their first battle count.

"This also means there is a chance that none of you will become Chunin based on the judges' scores. These are clients that might be looking to hire you one day and they will need to feel safe in knowing your ability to get the job done. If you cannot properly display these abilities key to a shinobi, you will fail."

Silence fell over those gathered as the information soaked in. Content that those gathered were well informed of the upcoming exam the Hokage nodded to himself before raising his voice one last time.

"This will conclude the preliminary rounds, we are adjourned until the next month."

The genin dispersed to their handlers while Naruto and Sakura idled. Her thoughts again reminded her of what Naruto said before the Hokage began speaking and she prepared to raise her concerns. She hesitated upon seeing Naruto smile and motion to the exit.

"Shall we head home Sakura?"

Still worried she could do nothing but nod and hope Naruto was alright. He rarely acted that strangely toward her and hoped that he would soon tell her what was the matter.

Little did Sakura know that a battle between two assassins had already begun.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hospital_

000

"I don't think so."

Kabuto felt Naruto's strength on his wrist increase to the point where it would break, forcing his attack.

Naruto watched as the spy's other hand glowed green and launched toward his abdomen. With his speed he was able to latch onto Kabuto's other wrist and stop the attack in its tracks. They battled one another in a test of strength for a few moments before Kabuto realized Naruto was barely fazed at all.

In one fluid motion Naruto let go of Kabuto's wrist and elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to fly back a few feet and away from Karin's bed. With her out of danger Naruto revealed his hidden blade and charged forward intent on ending Kabuto's life. Without Orochimaru he would be hard pressed to escape so easily from the assassin's grasp.

Grabbing one of his kunai Kabuto put up a furious defense, blades meeting and clacking against one another in the cramped hospital room. Pushed against a wall, Kabuto narrowly avoided a punch by ducking his head; looking up he saw it had the strength to crack the foundation and leave an indent.

_'He's not just fast but strong too..Orochimaru was right to be concerned.'_

Naruto gave him little time to think as he went for another strike with his leg, too fast for Kabuto to put up a defense. The boot slammed into his cheek and sent him sliding to the other side of the room. Recovering just as Naruto was on him their weapons met again and their respective strengths matched.

Stalemate.

Naruto sent lightning chakra to his blade and cut through the kunai like butter forcing Kabuto to back away. Knowing he was at a disadvantage in kenjutsu Kabuto brought both arms up and fed chakra to his hands, creating deadly medical scalpels out out of them.

Naruto retracted his blade and got into a defensive stance with his blade arm in front and one arm limp at his side. Suddenly they were alight with a wisp of green wind chakra before the color disappeared leaving only the sound of a small storm to remind them the chakra remained.

Charging one another the two blocked and parried each attack with their hands and fists, chakra slamming against itself in short explosive skirmishes. Kabuto and Naruto's sleeves began to rip and tear from the intensity of the bladed chakra meeting one another and soon enough blood began to spill from both sides.

Even the experienced Kabuto was impressed with Naruto's unique style of taijutsu he had not come across in his days traveling the world. It seemed each clan of assassins taught their own style to increase their lethality in the field. It was clearly more than a match for him as he found himself slowly running out of stamina as the assassin pressed forward, seemingly still full of energy.

_'I need to get out of this.'_

Blocking a punch headed for his head that cut his cheek and sliced some hair, the Oto spy went on the offensive in a flurry of strikes that put the assassin on defense. Forcing him to back up Kabuto waited for the opportune moment before dropping to his knees and doing a sweeping kick. Naruto was forced to jump into the air and saw Kabuto reaching for his waist pouch.

Bringing his arms up in defense Naruto used the wind to deflect most of the oncoming shuriken but was still pushed back. He had a moment of pain as a few buried themselves within his skin. This moment of reprieve was enough for Kabuto to make a run for the door.

Karin's eyes went wide in concern for Naruto as he began to remove the painful weapons imbedded in his arms and leg. Upon seeing a sinister smile under his hood she turned her attention to the door to see Kabuto looking at someone outside.

"Going somewhere?"

Surprised, the Oto spy slowly backed himself into the room as Kakashi followed him in. The Konoha Jounin had noticed Naruto's substitution and followed the genin in curiosity. He had since been waiting for the right moment to reveal and corner Kabuto which he had seen trying to escape.

"Perfect.." Naruto ripped the last shuriken from his arm, blood splattering to the floor. "..timing Kakashi."

Ignoring concern for his student's condition Kakashi kept his attention on the medical chief's son. He was a lot more than what his profile said of his abilities and that worried the man, enough to make him consider the boy a real threat.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish by trying to harm a Kusa Shinobi, but openly engaging a fellow Konoha ninja is grounds for serious punishment. Does some kid like you understand that?"

Kabuto smirked as Kakashi continued to extrapolate on his charges against him.

"You're the spy from Orochimaru, aren't you?"

Silence only confirmed the answer.

"Capturing me now may not get you the evidence required to hold me as His accomplice."

Naruto scowled and brought forth his blade, as if he would give him the chance to escape.

"You die here Kabuto!"

Kakashi held up a hand.

"Don't do anything stupid Naruto. This guy..he isn't a normal shinobi."

"He dies right now!"

Kakashi saw Kabuto smile in reaction to Naruto's charge from behind and began to run forward in an attempt to stop him.

The medical ninja spun around and met Naruto's speed with his own. The aggressive stance left Naruto open to a pinpoint strike and so Kabuto sent a strike for his abdomen. What he didn't count on was that the blonde had been expecting the strike and positioned his body so that his shoulder would take the hit and also slam his weight into Kabuto.

Not expecting Naruto's reaction to be so fast the spy could only watch as his chakra blade cut a wound into Naruto's shoulder, eliciting a roar from the assassin. Weight pushing forward, Naruto took the pain and forced Kabuto backward, bringing his free blade arm up into a hook.

Kakashi watched as blood launched from both shinobi. Kabuto was able to free himself first by pushing Naruto back. Bleeding from a stab wound to his stomach, the medical ninja threw shuriken into the window and escaped through it with Kakashi close at his back.

Kakashi quickly went back to check on Naruto who had retracted his blade and wobbled over to Karin's bedside.

Although bleeding profusely from his wounds Naruto was still able to offer the frightened Karin a reassuring smile.

Kakashi knelt at Naruto's side and saw the wounds were becoming serious, despite his calm demeanor.

"Naruto, are you alright?"

He asked with an edge to his voice holding onto the boy's shoulder.

"I got him Kakashi..my poison..should finish the rest.."

Naruto slumped into unconsciousness from loss of blood taking the other two by surprise. The Jounin quickly ran out into the hallway and called for medical staff to treat his student.

Karin's eyes welled with tears and she struggled to touch him as he fell over her body. Even as the bed sheets soaked with blood her only concern was for the boy in front of her who had risked his life to save her.

_'Please Naruto..stay alive!'_

000

Kabuto took a break on a nearby rooftop and fell to a crouch, holding his bleeding stomach. As he began to apply healing chakra to seal the wound he felt a foreign substance traveling in his blood. Realizing the blade had been poisoned he quickly sought to remove it only to find it difficult to grasp with his chakra, like an eel in water.

_'Damn..if I don't hurry I might really..'_

Shuffling himself over to a shaded spot he sat down and began to push his limits in healing to keep himself alive. For once in a long time, Kabuto truly had the fear of death instilled within him.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Apartments_

_Sand Shinobi Quarters_

000

After ensuring the children of the Kazekage were properly in bed, Baki took his leave. With so much that had happened in Konohagakure since arriving he needed time to gather his thoughts. As part of the vanguard force of the invasion his contribution was extremely important to ensuring success.

With their plan to get Gaara through to the finals defeated by the Konoha assassin it would require more than just a simple calculation to decide what to do next. As it was impossible to predict Gaara's actions or give her orders it took a particularly skilled person to manipulate her into following a plan. The only reason the original worked was because she was promised great challenge from other shinobi.

Entering his quarters he quickly went to the bed and sat down, trying to find calm. It was not all lost as Temari and Kankuro had made it through to the end and he could keep a closer eye on Gaara. Still the plan had changed enough that he needed to report in.

Fumbling underneath the bed for a moment his hand found purchase and pulled out a large scroll. Only to be used under emergency circumstances he hesitated a moment remembering the words of his superiors. What if they would consider the mission a lost cause and leave him and the genin behind in Konoha, without support?

_'Impossible, they can't risk losing Gaara. She's too useful even in her state..'_

Slowly he unraveled the scroll and set it on the ground upon discovering it was some sort of summoning jutsu. Expecting an animal messenger to pop up he went through the necessary hand signs and fed proper chakra into the black circle drawn in ink.

A large amount of chakra could be felt surging through the seal and it forced Baki to take a few steps back in surprise. As the smoke cleared his body froze, not expecting the arrival of said person in front of him.

"K-Kazekage..sama?"

"You had better have good reason for this Baki. Report." The cloaked man demanded in a threatening tone.

Quickly gathering his thoughts the Jounin knelt in respect.

"Yes sir. I must report that Gaara has failed to enter the final exam. She was defeated by a Konoha shinobi and will be unable to enact the plan as is."

The Kazekage remained quiet his face hidden behind a cloth veil. Waiting for the answer was torture for Baki as he ran through all the negative possibilities that could come over him. Their leader was not a forgiving man and demanded excellence from the Suna shinobi, if a mission required all shinobi to die to fulfill it then it would be done without question.

"I see..this Konoha shinobi must have been very impressive to defeat Gaara in her current state."

"Yes Kazekage-sama, he was an assassin. Trained from birth to serve Konoha as a member of the Namikaze he displayed a level of skill that was too much for Gaara to handle without transforming."

The Kazekage narrowed his eyes upon hearing the identity of the fighter.

"That should be impossible, the Namikaze Clan was wiped out many years ago."

"Apparently..there was a survivor sir." Baki hesitated to give such news to the Kazekage but could not hold back.

After a pause of further silence the Kazekage began to speak again. His tone meant there was no room for error and so the Jounin paid full attention.

"Very well then, our plans will not change. Bring Gaara to the arena and ensure she has a clear view of all the matches. I sense that she will have a particular reaction to seeing this _assassin_ on the field and it will trigger the transformation. From there we will carry out our plans as intended."

"Yes sir!"

With that the Suna leader disappeared back through the scroll of reverse summoning allowing Baki a moment of reprieve. Even with his leader being confident in the plan continuing Baki expressed doubts he dared not say in front of the Kazekage.

Regardless it was clear the girl had a certain disdain for the Namikaze so perhaps she would react properly. Knowing Gaara there would surely be enough happening in the arena to at least illicit some negative response cementing their plan of action. He only hoped they could control her properly when the time came or both sides would feel her wrath.

With fresh orders to take care of Baki took no break in preparing for the next month.

000

_Konohagakure Outskirts_

_Namikaze Compound_

000

After releasing himself from the hospital much to the chagrin of Kakashi and the medical staff, Naruto headed home as light waned. As darkness fell the forest became a much different beast than that of during the day. The nocturnal animals revealed themselves and wisps of wind combined with the howls of creatures that inhabited the dark underworld.

There was much on the young assassin's mind as he ran through the brush. Not only was he to train for a month to prepare for an upcoming tournament of shinobi but he also had to deal with the coming threat of Orochimaru. His moves were growing bolder as he not only sent his agents to attack freely within the village but revealed himself during the exams.

It meant that something very dangerous was coming to fruition with the Sannin's plan leading the charge.

_'If I don't anticipate his next move and soon the danger to the village will be great.'_

It was then he was reminded of his two latest charges. Capturing them during the exam was not very difficult and he questioned how much he could make use of them. Being lowly pawns it was clear they would know little of the overarching plan of their master, but he had to try.

If nothing else he would ensure they would serve a use to him until their deaths, the only proper way to repay a assassin was through blood.

Entering through the moss-ridden gate the blonde quickly made his way to the center building which served as his home. Even with the darkness he could still see the multitude of homes and barren streets that went untouched with the passing of his people. He wanted nothing more to restore the greatness that was once the Namikaze but that dream seemed fleeting at that point in his life.

For now he would settle with surviving long enough to see the Creed returned to Konoha.

Once inside the well kept interior of the Namikaze head's living space the blonde quickly removed his boots before entering. It felt as if he had been walking in them for many days and could not wait to sleep in a real bed. Even under his serious demeanor he was still human and enjoyed the few comforts he was allowed.

Before that however he had something to take care of.

He entered the living room where the two Oto shinobi had been deposited on the floor, stock still as if they had been frozen. Taking a seat in front of them so he would be the first thing they woke up to, the blonde created a hand seal and forced the awakening ritual. The process would be somewhat painful and should they try and rebel he could easily dominate them with nothing but a surge of chakra.

From what he could tell about their relationship with Orochimaru they were used to being ordered around under the threat of death. He expected them to adapt to the new situation quickly.

Not that they had much of choice in the matter.

Their forces contorted in pain as their bodies twitched and writhed on the cold wooden floor. Naruto waited patiently as they slowly opened their eyes and gathered their wits. The darkness shrouded him until the correct moment to reveal himself to the two.

Dosu pushed himself up with one arm and held his head in the other feeling a particularly strong headache. The last thing he remembered was fighting the assassin and being captured along with Kin. His lone eye wandered around the room but found it difficult to focus on objects, it was clear there was something affecting his mind. They weren't in the forest anymore either and that caused him some concern.

Kin fumbled a bit in getting to a low crouch finding her body sluggish after a long sleep. Her hand instinctively went to her neck as the last thing that she felt was great pain in that area. Somehow the assassin had captured and branded them with some seal but she couldn't sense any threat nearby. Wherever they were was comfortable but eerily quiet, unsettling them.

"Kin..where are we?"

Dosu croaked his throat dry. Even in their situation he still tried to take command of the situation which was something that had secretly annoyed the girl. She accepted it when they were around Orochimaru but now she was resisting the urge to ignore him.

"I was knocked out, same as you."

"We..we need to get out of here."

Dosu attempted to stand up but failed, his knees made of gel. Now on all fours the Oto ninja struggled again to focus on his surroundings and his chakra flow to escape the black haze. It frustrated him to no end when he was in a powerless position and his brain struggled to comprehend and handle the situation.

_'Think..you were in the forest and captured by the Namikaze. He applied a chakra seal to your neck..'_ His hand instinctively felt the back of his neck, it was as if nothing had happened. _'..and said you were to serve him. The only logical place we could be is..'_

"Kin! We' are-"

"In my home. Yes, Dosu Kinuta you _do_ catch on quick don't you?"

They froze to the new presence and watched as the black haze disappeared from their vision allowing them to focus on their surroundings. In front of them sat the assassin that had so easily defeated their entire squad, humiliated them, and murdered one of their teammates. On instinct they attempted to defend themselves but found themselves to weak to even properly stand, let alone hold a weapon.

"Assassin!" The bandaged shinobi growled before crying out in pain and grabbing for his neck, feeling the seal act up.

Even through the pain he was still able to hear Kin's scream and saw her forced to the ground, writhing in pain. On all fours the leader of the two glared at Naruto who was watching with little interest.

"Leave..her..alone.." Was all he was able to say through gritted teeth, but it got through.

A few moments later they were granted a reprieve and watched their opponent as he observed them.

"Kneel."

Exchanging glances the two could do little but obey, getting onto one knee. Naruto slowly got up and watched as their eyes followed them and yet their bodies remained submissively on the ground. He could feel their killer intent but could smell their fear oozing from their bodies.

"Your names."

His voice hit their eardrums but in a pleasant manner, it shocked them. How was it that their enemy's voice was pleasing? The way he spoke calmly and respectively to them appealed to their hearts but his strong undertone reminded them of his dominant place.

With Orochimaru he twisted and manipulated using whatever tone was necessary to get the order across. At first seductive and pleasing to listen to the Oto shinobi knew it was all a farce. He had abandoned them, sent them on a fool's errand to reveal and test the assassin's abilities. They were nothing to him and now they were forced under a new master.

Regardless of their feelings they had no choice but to answer.

"Dosu Kinuta."

"Kin Tsuchi."

Naruto paced in front of them, slowly and deliberately to give their eyes a distracting focus. He was lulling them into a comfortable position to earn what little trust they were willing to give. After the betrayal from their previous master he would seem a godsend to them; if not, there were _other_ ways to ensure they obeyed.

"Rank?"

"Genin."

They answered simultaneously and were still surprised they were so easily giving him the answer he wished. Was it self preservation or were they starting to feel comfortable by his presence?

"Tell me what your objective was during the Second Exam."

They exchanged glances, to give the truth would be a betrayal of Orochimaru's trust. Again they were rudely reminded of Naruto's words describing them as pawns. A fate they had been denying since entering his service only to find the truth out much quicker than they would have liked.

"We were ordered.." Dosu swallowed the lump in his throat and balled his fists. "To kill Sasuke Uchiha."

"Did you know Sasuke had the cursed seal?"

Dosu frowned, one of the many things Orochimaru lied to them about.

"No."

Naruto stopped pacing and looked back down at them. Hand grasping his chin he seemed to be taking great interest in their words, as if he didn't already know the answer. Another tactic to bring out their complacency.

"Did you know you would be facing two trained assassins, also on the team?"

_That_ was an exaggeration, but Sakura was progressing nicely in her training.

"No, we were only given our orders. We were led to believe our skills would outmatch yours.."

Kin chimed in as Dosu hesitated. She too was tired of obeying blindly and wanted revenge on her old master, if giving up such information was what it took she would gladly tell him what she knew.

"From this conclusion, would you say Orochimaru sent you to fight completely prepared? Or that he saw you as expendable?"

This was the turning point before he would push the point he was trying to make into their hearts. It was with a little surprise to the blonde when without much hesitation Dosu bitterly mumbled his answer.

"To him..we were nothing but pawns."

Under his cloak, Naruto smiled.

"Now you see what kind of a monster your old master was. To him, any life is expendable but his own. _Any_ life..do you understand?"

They could not meet his eyes in shame but nodded.

"I will be blunt. At the moment I am not sure what to do with you, but I know that for your attack on my team I cannot forgive you easily."

They began to realize this conversation would lead to their fates, whether they lived another day or died silently in the night. The words and choices they made would have a lasting effect on their lives, even more so perhaps than the oath they were now ready to break.

"I will be your new master. You will serve me..or.." He paused, forcing them to look up at him for an answer he gave with little emotion. "..you will die. Do you understand?"

Dosu began to rage inside. He was being tossed away by one master and then sent to another. It was not something he could accept even in the position they were in now. Despite his body protesting he stood to full height, stumbling somewhat, before raising his healed melody arm for an attack.

With one quick hand seal Naruto forced chakra to the seals and brought a surge of pain that forced the bandaged teen to his knees. Growling he again tried to stand only to see Naruto turn the attack on the submissive Kin, eliciting a painful scream as she fell to the ground again.

Dosu's eyes widened and saw that his rebellion would not only lead him to ruin but Kin as well. The only friend he had left he could not stand to see her harmed in his stead and knelt to Naruto again.

"I swear.." He gritted his teeth and took the pain that Naruto continued to shoot through his veins. "..to serve you..Naruto..Namikaze!"

Immediately Naruto's hand dropped and allowed them both reprieve. Although they were enemies and he held no special bond to them, Naruto did not like inflicting torture or pain on another. It was against the teachings of the assassins to let an opponent suffer.

"Kin Tsuchi, what say you?"

The girl struggled to get back up and knelt, swearing fealty to Naruto as Dosu did. Although she had little choice and had just been jolted with pain she could never imagine, there was something telling her that the assassin in front of them was not inherently evil like Orochimaru. It was an improvement, however small.

Naruto looked at Dosu and saw his glare, the hate boiled within him. Even though he was a logical boy he was fiercely independent after becoming disillusioned with his former master. To go to another one so quickly and to be so cruelly hurt was not something he would take simply.

"Very well then. You two will live here for now until the Chunin Exams finish and until then I expect you to stay in this compound. Your old master must believe in your deaths or else he will seek you out to finish the job."

As Naruto prepared to leave Dosu mumbled something that made him turn.

"What did you say?" He asked with an edge to his voice.

Although frightened the bandaged shinobi had enough pride to repeat his insult.

"What..makes you any better than Orochimaru? We are still pawns to you, still servants to be used."

Naruto turned and knelt in front of Dosu bringing their gaze to the same level. With a quiet but strong tone Naruto responded with words that would echo within the two Oto shinobi's minds for many years as a source of encouragement.

"Orochimaru uses his pawns to further his own gains and expends them to benefit his own self. I use my servants to protect those who cannot protect themselves and would sacrifice my life for any of them."

He stood up and began to leave, stopping at the doorway to look back at the stunned shinobi.

"Perhaps one day you too will understand the difference."

000

_Konohagakure_

_Team 7 Training Grounds_

000

It was early morning when Team 7 chose to meet up for planning the next month of training. As each member had successfully passed to the Third Exam it would mean each would have to have some sort of training plan in order to succeed and keep themselves busy. Standing on the small red bridge that was built over the stream running through their training ground, each shinobi had their own plans.

While Sakura most likely planned to train with Naruto she wasn't sure if it would be a great idea if they were going to take the arena fight seriously. He had yet to say much to her and for that she was somewhat concerned.

When Kakashi arrived all eyes were back on him although the atmosphere had changed. The three genin had gone through some very difficult trials that made each a little more mature to the world around them. It showed in their step, their gaze, their stance, their thoughts.

"Let's get right into it. Since each of you passed through to the final round, each will need a training regimen to prepare for the upcoming tournament." He turned the Uchiha. "Sasuke, have you had any thoughts for yours?"

"Don't bother Kakashi. I've decided to train in my own compound for the month and learn from the old scrolls of the Uchiha."

This surprised the Jounin as he had expected him to seek out a strong teacher.

"Are you sure Sasuke? I can find someone to help.."

The boy just grunted and let him move onto Sakura.

"Sakura? You are going up against Naruto..are you sure you want to train together knowing that?"

The pink head twiddled with her fingers and wished her hood was up so she could hide. Sakura was unsure if Naruto wanted to train her further and his silence only seemed to confirm her fears. A hand on her shoulder brought unexpected warmth as Naruto spoke for her.

"Sakura still has much to learn if she wants to beat me, but I'm fine with losing if she is the one getting stronger. We will get more training together than apart anyway."

Faith restored Sakura smiled at Naruto who nodded in response. Kakashi just scratched his head as he should have expected that kind of response, the two were inseparable.

"Alright..and I'm going to suppose you want to stay at home too yes?"

Silence answered him and it brought on a sigh. Sometimes he wondered who was the tougher to work with, him or his students.

"Sasuke, I'll be coming over every other day to help with your training and check your seal." Not what the boy wanted to hear, Sasuke shrugged but knew better than to argue.

"And I will be coming to your compound to coach you and Sakura. There are a few tricks I can still teach you both."

Naruto and Sakura exchanged glances before shrugging.

"Sure Kakashi-sensei, if that's what you think is best."

"It is. As much as the month seems like a long time it will be difficult to get any sizable difference in skill unless you work hard together and really focus on particular strengths. I'll do my best to keep you on track."

After a little more small talk the group went their separate ways with Sakura tagging along with Naruto as per usual. This time the blonde hesitated in his pace and turned to Sakura as if he suddenly remembered something.

"Sakura, can you make it to my compound on your own?"

Her brow creased but she nonetheless nodded. They had made enough trips together she had perfected the route.

"I have a few errands to run so why don't you head out first. I won't be long."

With that said he was gone and Sakura was left alone in the street. She was still getting used to his sudden exits but was finally starting to accept Naruto was just a busy person. He had so much to think of and worry about as the last member of his clan and his duty to the Creed.

It was the subtle things that reminded her of his feelings; a smile, a touch, words of comfort. When times were tough she would remember them and draw strength. And so she did as she carried herself through the village with a smile, proud to be with the Namikaze.

000

_Konohagakure_

_Shimizu Household_

000

Ai was just finishing up her cleaning of the main room when she heard the window in the back squeak open. Having not been visited by the Naruto in some time the two had started to get worried. They kept their ears open for tales of his exploits but wondered if he had forgotten them.

When the assassin entered the room from the back warehouse the girl sighed in relief. It seemed her father's talk of doom had been for not.

"Ai?"

Naruto at first didn't recognize her as she had her long brown hair in a ponytail and was a bit dusty from cleaning. The girl nodded and quickly took off her work apron and brushed the dust that had accumulated on her face away.

"Ah yes Naruto-sama! I would look more proper but I wasn't expecting you."

She quickly ran to her place behind the counter as he approached, watching him stifle a laugh and felt her face flush. The nice boy he was Naruto ignored the girl's quirks and proceeded to order supplies to prepare himself for the training in the upcoming month.

"We have heard that you entered the Chunin Exams, is that true Naruto-sama?"

"Yes, I'm heading for the final rounds in a month's time."

"From what we heard shinobi from all over the land are participating. It must be a lonely thing being the only assassin participating."

Naruto paused, he had not thought of that. It was true that the Namikaze were an exception being considered a part of the village of Konoha rather than an independent clan. Most of the other villages had their assassins in positions of power and often found themselves as leaders from the shadows; the Namikaze were instead culled and chained like pets from an outsider's point of view.

It was below the assassins in other villages to enter into a shinobi contest like the Chunin Exams. From Naruto's perspective he learned from his father it was better to learn both the art of assassination and the art of shinobi to form a strong symbiotic relationship between the cultures. If his father could do it and become Hokage, what would be his result of following the same path?

Shaking his head of such thoughts he thought of a quick answer.

"It gives me the advantage as no one has ever seen an assassin fight, especially a Namikaze."

Ai smiled, remembering many stories her father would tell of his times assisting the assassins in the field. He described their fighting style as quick, elegant, and somewhat haughty as if they taunted the opponent's skill until their death.

"I would very much enjoy seeing you fight Naruto-sama. It must be quite a sight."

The blonde just smiled as he handed over the proper amount of money.

"You can, convince your father to attend the Third Exam as a spectator. It would give you time to observe shinobi and assassins in a more natural habitat." He meant fighting of course but the girl seemed quite excited about the prospect.

"Do you mean it Naruto-sama? I could come and watch?"

"Of course."

Her smile was almost infectious and he could not help but stare for longer than he should. Collecting himself a moment later he remembered something important.

"Ai, I need your help with something."

The girl became curious and was all ears as the boy summoned the courage to ask what seemed to be a difficult question for him.

"What..kind of flowers do you give to someone sick?"

000

_Konohagakure_

_Private Gardens_

000

"So..you failed again Kabuto?"

"I'm sorry Orochimaru-sama. I had not anticipated Naruto or Kakashi to take interest in Karin."

The Sannin looked at his servant with much disdain but saw that the wounds he suffered at the hands of the two Konoha shinobi were causing him enough pain already. The poison was difficult and time consuming to remove and still left him with great pain and partial paralysis that would take even more time to heal. It was enough of a punishment, Orochimaru thought, for the boy's foolishness.

The two stood together in a large garden that stood behind the apartments Orochimaru was staying at under the guise of the Sound Jounin. After realizing his squad of shinobi had been killed he had been going through the motions with the Konoha shinobi to investigate and search for their bodies. Not that it mattered much to him but only served as another way the children annoyed him even after death.

"I suppose I should be happy with this." Kabuto looked up in surprise to see Orochimaru form a smile. "You see after I sent you off I had a bit of time to think and decided Karin's talents are still too useful to waste by killing her."

The man turned to his servant and indicated he look himself over.

"The pain inflicted on you by Naruto should be a sound reminder of what failure means Kabuto. After you finish recovering I'll have you collect Karin before the fighting starts. We can't afford for her to get lost or revealed as a spy."

"What of the Kusa Jounin? She has been with them for some time, they won't let her disappearance go without an investigation."

That mattered little to Orochimaru. As spies Kabuto and Karin knew better than anyone how non-permanent their assignments were. After they recovered her Karin would enact one of her many escape plans to get the Kusa shinobi off her trail, most likely faking her own death during the confusion of the coming battle.

"Allow Karin to handle that upon freeing her. We must act carefully as to not step on any more toes until the plan is set into motion. Avoid contact as much as possible..you are dismissed."

Kabuto bowed.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru waited until the boy left before signaling for another to emerge from the garden's shroud. Kneeling in respect to her master, the fiery red head waited to hear his reason for requesting her presence before the invasion.

"Tayuya..I have a _special_ mission for you."

She looked into his eyes, those cold reptilian yellow orbs that struck a deep chord of fear within her. With little emotion she responded as one would to a master that one had served for so long.

"Yes..Orochimaru-sama."

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hospital_

000

A knock on the door made Karin turn to see Naruto come in with a bouquet of flowers.

Since yesterday she had finally been allowed to get off painkillers and the respirator, now laying in her bed and watching outside was the most fun she had. With her bed inclined in the front it was much more comfortable to speak with people and get a better view of the windows. It also gave Naruto a better view of the girl in her gown and he not so subtly looked away in embarrassment when she caught his stare.

She was happy for a moment upon seeing Naruto but then somewhat lost her chipper attitude upon remembering the events of yesterday. In a certain way it was her fault he had sustained such ugly wounds.

Noticing her frown, the blonde brought the flowers up quickly and urged her to take them. With Ai's help he had been able to pick out a few specific flowers to convey a bit of a message to her and he hoped she would understand his intent. Even with interaction between him and Sakura he still had a difficult time conveying his feelings in words, especially with girls.

Upon seeing her smile again it made him loosen up a bit, enough to take off his hood. He rarely did it outside of the compound and only when he was comfortable with the people around him.

As it was the first time she had gotten to see his face so clearly the girl could not help but blush a bit. His nervousness combined with the warmth of his chakra was very cute to her. Being in a situation like that, even if it was in less than happy circumstances, was a rare treat for Karin.

"Thank you Naruto..it was very thoughtful."

"Hmm..I had to spend some time picking the right ones. I had no idea there was a language behind each type of flower."

Karin looked at the ones he had chosen as she somewhat prided herself on knowledge, particularly in herbs and general flora.

_'White Camellias and red Azaleas to signify him patiently waiting for my recovery and..a Daffodil?'_

"You..respect me?"

She asked in a different tone he had heard her use before; it wasn't bubbly and flirtatious as her past encounters with him. It was deeper, more normal of a voice that he could speak to normally. He liked it.

"Yes..very much so."

The blonde wandered over to the window and opened the glass pane to allow a gentle breeze through.

"To carry such a smile and attitude and have to bury it under a fake identity and indifference is such a shame."

Her eyes widened and she leaned forward in her bed, hoping she had heard wrong. Fake identity?

"What do you-"

Naruto just smiled, a truly sad smile.

"You are Orochimaru's second spy, are you not?"

The girl leaned back into the bed as her secret was revealed. She would have rather have kept it from him for the short time they were to know each other, but it made sense he would see through the deception.

"It's fine, you don't have to answer. I won't hold it against you without knowing the full story of your past.."

_'Those eyes of yours..'_ He looked back and met her gaze, those red orbs hid a very powerful bloodline. _'How could **he** not want them?'_

Karin realized now that her flirtatious side she had so far displayed in front of him had not had the effect she desired. Although it wasn't a mask as she truly did act that way around men she liked, it was her hope he would not see her as she normally was; a spy that was quick to temper, controlling, and tough to deal with. She also had her calm moments which was the mood she was currently in, and it showed in her words.

"If you know who I really am, why aren't you stopping me? Don't you realize the danger I can cause?"

Naruto just nodded, he had considered the risks. Some thought had already gone into killing her if necessary but there was a voice in his head saying otherwise. There was a chance to turn her to his side.

"I'd like to think that all but the worst of humans can change. Someone like Orochimaru..is too far gone for the crimes he has committed. You.."

Naruto folded his arms and leaned against the window, gathering his thoughts.

"There is a good side to you, he hasn't broken it yet."

Karin looked away, it was better to not dwell on such ideas. Her thoughts of escaping from Orochimaru's grasp had disappeared many years ago after he had discovered her. Being around him she knew his methods, the way he treated people like pets or objects to be used and thrown away.

She also knew how he could react to losing said people and it would only endanger those she stayed with.

"It's better if you don't become too friendly with me. No good can come from it."

It hurt to say as the assassin had literally risked his life for her, but if he pursued his goal it would only lead to danger for them both. Orochimaru was not someone to make an enemy out of as Konoha would soon find out.

"I've weighed the risks..and I think you are worth it."

Karin turned back to him in surprise to see him on the window sill, preparing to leap out. How he could he leave after saying something like that so strongly?

Placing his hood back on, Naruto turned back to Karin and gave her a real smile.

"I'll come visit you again tomorrow. Take care, Karin."

She watched him disappear out into the world. Long after he was gone his words still echoed in her head, as loudly and clearly as the first time he said them. That was the first time anyone had said she had value and meant it, not even Orochimaru could say the same.

Everyone else only saw what she let them see, but Naruto had broken down each of Karin's secrets on his own and still found worth in her. Something worth smiling at, she was worth something to someone for more than her abilities or looks.

Despite herself, Karin had a smile on for the rest of the day.

000

And that brings us to the end of this chapter of Namikaze Assassin. Not a lot of action but this chapter and the next are mostly for information, character development, and general filler until the Third Exam starts.

Look forward to a more in-depth look at the Namikaze bloodline in the next chapter as he explains where he gets his legendary speed from. We will also see a bit more into Sakura's progression as a Healer as she takes further lessons from Naruto during his training with Kakashi.

We will also find out just what Tayuya's mission is and why it was important enough for Orochimaru to pull her away early for his plans.

Last but not least we will hopefully see another of the Sannin come to town and get some more backstory on his difficult relationship with Minato Namikaze and how that friction will carry over to Naruto.

Plenty more to come as we progress to the climax of the Chunin Exam arc!

Review!

See ya in _Mercenary for Hire _next where Naruto will also be meeting with Tayuya, Orochimaru's liaison in Tokyo!


	15. Training Begins, Trouble Brews

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 15

Training Begins, Trouble Brews

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Pairing: NaruxSaku

Assassin!Naruto

Hello everyone, finally back after preparing and leaving for University. I had to drive through five states to get here and its taken a while to get everything in order. Now that I am moved into my dorm though I am going to try and continue to update as often as possible, as writing and coming up with story ideas somewhat has to do with my future career (No, not a writer).

This time around we have a filler of sorts as it mainly centers around the month of training all the finalists receive to prepare for the Third Exam. It will also have a familiar face returning, but how will he be received by our Naruto? Will things turn out differently in the war with an assassin on Konoha's side? How long must we wait until his harem is finished?!

More to come.

000

_The Creed_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Konohagakure Outskirts_

_Namikaze Compound_

000

"Let's go, Naruto!"

Without another word the assassin launched forward and assaulted the Jonin with his fists and legs. They parried and countered one another, almost on equal footing even with their difference in rank and age. Although Kakashi had experience from fighting his sensei, Naruto displayed his own uniqueness to the usual clan taijutsu that made it somewhat difficult for him to keep up a consistent defense.

Sakura watched them from the sidelines of their makeshift training ground, a small dirt patch off to the side of the main building. She had been hesitant to watch them train as the two genin were to fight one another, but the blonde insisted she attend as he planned to train her soon after. If anything she was surprised to see Kakashi allowed into the compound but assumed that Naruto trusted him enough.

Grabbing the outstretched wrist in the aftermath of a punch, Kakashi momentarily stopped the fight to make a point.

"Your taijutsu technique has a lot of speed and is difficult to defend against when there are few who have seen it displayed. However, you lack a strong defense and you are more focused on disarming and disabling an opponent, leading you to pull otherwise very powerful attacks."

Naruto broke his hold and backed up but found Kakashi pursuing him instead of hanging back. As soon as he landed, the teacher had a kunai at his neck from behind. It would seem the match was over when Kakashi let loose a silent sigh of relief, but Naruto remained tense.

"You must not assume your opponent's actions, always have a defense ready."

"It's not over."

Raising an eyebrow the man did not even get a chance to react when Naruto's arm turned into a blur and disarmed him of the blade. With another lightning fast motion the assassin's hidden blade was at his neck turning the tables.

Kakashi took a moment to analyze the technique even as Sakura stared, stupefied. It was not normal speed that allowed Naruto to pull it off and the technique could be attributed to many of his past endeavors. His speed, while not on par with Minato's, was faster than any normal shinobi because of the same reason.

"Figured it out yet?" The blonde taunted as Kakashi's eye widened.

"So you inherited that as well from your father. Jinton."

Naruto nodded, affirming his third affinity; an advanced nature, Jinton was a rare trait even among Namikaze that allowed the user to increase their speed to inhuman levels. Even to an experienced Jonin the user was like a blur of movement and while not an offensive power alone, when coupled with certain techniques made it very deadly.

"Swift Release is perfect for my technique as it can allow me to react to an opponent's sudden move or create a defense faster than an attack. You are right though that I shouldn't always rely on speed."

Taking the kunai that hung limp from the blonde's hand, Kakashi ended their training bout with a bit of a lesson for both combatants. Kakashi realized he still had much to learn of Naruto's abilities and that his potential was greater than what any could have predicted.

Even Naruto learned his limits though and what he had to work on. It was his hope that with this training he could improve on what he taught to Sakura as well, as her primary giver of training. He wanted her ready to fight anyone, even himself, for when the final exam came.

"Naruto, I'd like to teach you a technique that I think you can handle. Thanks to your lightning element, I can finally pass it onto someone who can put it to good use."

Intrigued, the two genin watched as Kakashi began to gather chakra into his right hand. It quickly turned white and sparked with electricity, tendrils of light began to trail from the palm of his hand. The most telling factor of the jutsu was its unique sound, it sounded like thousands of birds chirping at once.

"This is Chidori, a fitting name don't you think? It's very powerful and will improve your ability in close combat while giving you a new technique to use for assassinations. I have cut through many opponents with this alone."

With some further instruction Naruto began trying to harness it for himself. Although it took some time, Kakashi was amazed at how fast the assassin picked up the knowledge and applied it to the technique. With his level of chakra control he could easily replicate Raikiri with not too much practice.

"That's it, just maintain a steady flow of chakra. Use your other hand to steady your arm if you need to, it can be a bit unwieldy to move around with."

The ground crumbled and cracked underneath the lightning attack Naruto had formed, only serving to show off its power further. With the fury of a thousand birds of prey, Naruto slammed the technique into the ground showering them with dirt. It left a large crater that Kakashi quickly rectified with an earth technique.

"Well done, with a bit more practice it should be ready for the exam."

The blonde was hunched over, somewhat tired from the chakra usage. It would take some getting used to for him to properly handle the technique without such a dip in stamina. Nevertheless it was another jutsu he could add to his arsenal, so he gave a curt bow to his teacher.

"Thank you, Kakashi."

He received an eye smile in return.

"Don't mention it. That should be enough for today, at least between us..." Sakura realized it was her turn when their teacher turned and motioned for her to come forward.

With a nod, Naruto went from student to teacher and guided Sakura into a starting stance. For the first time in a while Kakashi took the sidelines and watched the blonde circle the girl, adjusting her pose and giving short snippets of advice as they began going through kenjutsu motions for her blade. Even though they were comfortable and happy around one another, he could see it in their eyes how seriously they took this time of training together.

He had no doubt both could take care of each other just fine. It would take that kind of unity to get them through their battle against one another and everything beyond in their ninja careers.

000

_Many Hours Later.._

000

_'Ah..what a long day.'_

Naruto entered his room, sliding the door closed behind him. It was small and sparse, a wooden floor covered only by a futon and small table for tea. In a methodical fashion much practiced since his earning the robes, he began to undress by removing his belt and leather vest. It was not long before all of his clothing was neatly put away leaving him with only his pants and bracer.

Never one to give up his weapon if he could help it, the blonde had just gotten used to sleeping with it. It didn't hurt the fact that with two sound shinobi residing in his home he still stayed on his guard. Thinking of his new charges he figured they had come out since Kakashi and Sakura returned to the village, no doubt beginning their guard duties.

Entrusting the night to them Naruto's body slowly went limp in bed, falling into a deep sleep.

000

In the forest surrounding the compound a slender figure darted through the brush. Their body was covered in a dark cloak, seen only by the faint moonlight that shone upon the eerie landscape. Even with the seals and genjutsu defenses in place, this person was able to navigate to their target easily and avoid detection showing that they were certainly more than an average ninja.

With a single leap they made it over the compound wall, taking a moment to scout the area. Quickly they scattered to an outlying shack for cover as the moon kept the courtyard well lit. As they leaned around the corner to plan out their next move their head twitched as a familiar sound was heard.

Senbon hit their target as the infiltrator was forced to fall back and was intercepted mid stride. Dosu and Kin approached the spy with caution but also with a familiar sense of pride in their ability to detect them. Since being abducted by the Namikaze and put on guard duty they had gotten familiar with the surrounding area and had detected the intruder not long after they hopped the wall, allowing the two to plan a counterattack.

Now with the hood ripped, the person's identity was revealed. Surprisingly, it was someone they knew.

"Tayuya?" Kin muttered, unsure if she was seeing right.

Dosu grunted, his eye glaring at the girl who was now his enemy. He had no feelings for her to begin with during their time in Otogakure together, now that she had showed up again he had no qualms of fighting her.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" The red head fired back, expecting them to be dead since disappearing in the second exam.

The bandaged boy cracked his neck and began to reveal his melody arm, revealing his intentions clearly to the still loyal Oto shinobi. Whatever they were doing in the Namikaze compound, it was clear they were _not_ on her side anymore. Not that it mattered much though, they were weaklings in comparison to the Sound Four.

"I'm only going to say this once..leave now and you can walk away." His intimidation had the opposite effect as Tayuya did not even try to stifle a mocking laugh.

"Haha! What the fuck was that? Did you really think you could scare _me_? You fucking idiots couldn't kill a fly."

The tag team exchanged glances before Dosu got into a ready stance and Kin revealed her bell senbons to use against Tayuya. Narrowing her eyes, the assassin remembered both of their abilities and knew not to expect much in the way of resistance. They weren't even powerful enough to warrant her using her curse mark.

"I'm the master of genjutsu Kin, not you. Those won't work on me, remember?" She teased receiving a glare from the younger girl.

The standoff did not last long before Dosu launched forward in a low stance, melody arm out toward the red head. Kin threw her senbon to distract Tayuya and cover her partner, but they were easily evaded by the nimble shinobi. Luckily her attack thrust the Oto shinobi toward Dosu and in range of his attack, allowing him to release an inaudible sound wave right at her.

With quick thinking and no small amount of finesse, Tayuya rolled on the ground and grabbed one of the special senbon for her own use. Now with Dosu hurtling toward her she brought up the weapon and hit the bell to bring forth her own sound wave, amplifying it with her chakra. The two invisible forces met in the middle and an explosion sent dust and dirt flying in both directions.

At first confident she had defeated the boy, the red head quickly backpedaled when he darted forward through and tried to grab her. Narrowly avoiding him by leaping into the air she was forced to take out her flute and deflect kunai that Kin threw at her as she came back down. Sliding across the dirt she found herself right in front of the building she was supposed to investigate but unable to because of the two traitors.

"Looks like its time to play a melody.." As she prepared to play her deadly instrument she was stopped in her tracks when the sliding door behind her opened.

"What is the meaning of this?" A powerful, stern voice hit her from behind and froze her in her tracks.

Somewhat frightened as well, Dosu and Kin quickly addressed their new leader.

"Namikaze-dono, we were trying to apprehend this intruder when she began to fight us."

_'Namikaze..dono? What the fuck is going on here?'_ Tayuya dared not look behind her but still her mind raced to connect the dots.

Orochimaru hadn't been very specific in who she was investigating, just where to look for him. If this Namikaze was the one she was supposed to spy on she wondered just how powerful he was to have Orochimaru's interest. The possibility of him being stronger than her made ice run up her spine.

"Who is she?" Naruto asked as he had suspected someone would come to investigate him with Orochimaru's presence.

"Tayuya of the Sound Four, one of Orochimaru's entourage. She is a genjutsu user and is very deadly with that flute, be careful."

Sensing a presence right behind her, Tayuya's head finally began to turn to face her target with heavy trepidation. She was able to see blonde hair and piercing blue eyes before the words he uttered made her forget everything but her ability to run.

He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, with no suggestive or chilling tone attached. Just a question that he felt she already knew the answer to.

"Do you wish to die, Tayuya-san?"

As soon as he said it she leaped forward in a desperate attempt to get some distance between them, but it was futile. Naruto was right behind her as she leaped over the gate and into the forest, forcing her to turn and block his blade with her instrument. The two engaged in a quick and awkward battle in the forest, one scared read head using a flute to block attacks from a half naked blonde assassin.

It was no laughing matter to either of the participants as Naruto knew that she had found his compound and was there because of Orochimaru. As it was, he could not allow her to escape.

Tayuya had her back against the wall as she fumbled through the night, narrowly avoiding and parrying the blonde's attacks. It was wearing on her though and he was beginning to connect with the tattered remains of her cloak as well as cuts on her arms. Just to survive and escape she might have to use her cursed mark. No one had forced her to do that before and it frightened her.

"Give up!" Naruto's blade connected with her flute, giving him the chance to kick her in the stomach and send her flying back into a tree.

"..Shut up..asshole!" Taking a moment to catch her breath she turned and ran up the tree, beginning to play her melody as she went.

Noticing monsters appear on the upper branches Naruto hesitated to give chase. It was then that his charges revealed themselves, throwing explosive kunai and sending the Doki flying.

Dosu flew through the air above the assassin, launching a sound attack at two of the beasts. Kin had already begun distracting the other under his guidance, allowing the Namikaze his chance to pursue.

"Go, we can handle these illusions!"

Without any further exchange Naruto ran up the tree in pursuit of Tayuya, finding her on a higher branch manipulating her servants. Even with her lauded abilities and place in the Sound Four, she was no match in detecting an assassin as he snuck behind her without making a single sound. Believing Naruto to still be fighting her creations, she was soon at a loss of words as a blade touched her throat freezing her playing mid-note.

"It's over."

Indeed, as she stopped playing the Doki disappeared giving the two shinobi below a chance to collect themselves. Lowering the instrument from her mouth, the agitated girl growled at her loss. How embarrassing was it that she couldn't even sense him approach from behind?

Taking the moment of reprieve to look her over, he had to admit he found her attractive. Why he continued to run into fiery red heads he had no idea, but it seemed they only continued to captivate his attention one way or the other. Although he would have preferred meeting in a less hostile way, he sensed that this would be assassin was much more than a simple servant of Orochimaru.

"So what now? You gonna kill me? Then make it quick motherfucker, because I hate waitin'." Somewhat surprised by her foul mouth, he hesitated in what he planned to do.

Should he kill her? Or could she be of more use than that?

Feeling the blade leave her, Tayuya could do nothing but stare at her captor with surprise. What was he thinking? He had her right where he wanted so why was he giving up?

"I won't kill you, you aren't the one I want."

Dumbfounded, she couldn't help but spit out the first thing that came to mind.

"What the fuck does that mean?!"

"Tell Orochimaru I am going to kill him, and that none of his ninja are powerful enough to handle me. He can come himself next time."

Not believing his audacity but also not wanting to push her luck, Tayuya backed away as Naruto did. As soon as she felt that he was genuine in letting her go she ran off into the night, leaving the three behind to their own devices. Dosu and Kin reunited with the Namikaze in the compound, catching him before he again retired to his bed chambers.

"Are you sure that was a good idea, just letting her go? She could lead more of them back here.." Dosu could not see the logic in Naruto's plan, even if he didn't seem so concerned.

"There are many seals and defenses around this place to ensure its discovery is very difficult, if not impossible. Even if she were to bring more, they would not survive like she did. It means she is powerful, more powerful than your average shinobi."

They couldn't argue with that, even if she liked to brag and exacerbate her place as second in command it was still well merited. Her skill with genjutsu and traps must have been one let her escape the surrounding forest without coming to harm and navigating her way to the compound itself. Without that same power any she would try to bring would surely fall to the Namikaze's defenses.

With no further argument, Naruto returned inside to sleep. He still had much to do within a single month's time and what little sleep he could get was precious.

000

_Many Days Later.._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Gates_

000

"Ah, good ol' Konoha. Good to be back in my usual stomping grounds!"

An old man strode through the front gate with no small amount of pride to be home again. With his book writing taking him around the world it had been so long since he had been given the pleasure of returning home. Thinking of all the new women to come of age and peep on only served to get him more excited. He looked up to see the Hokage monument spanning most of his view and that was when he remembered his apprentice.

_'Minato..' _His unmistakable spiky hair gave him away, and it brought back melancholy memories for the sannin. _'I wish we could have been left with better terms, but I will make it up to you by watching out for your son.'_

Jiraiya's face became somewhat serious as his thoughts drifted to Naruto. He had never seen him before and it would be very difficult finding him if he knew Minato. With luck though he could speak some sense to him before the Namikaze got their claws on him. The last thing such a prodigy needed was to be dragged down as a martyr like his father.

"First thing, check in with the Hokage. Maybe he can tell me where to start."

Arriving in front of the large red building he quickly made his way up to his old teacher's office. Being recognized by a few ninja he gave some lighthearted waves and smiles before seeing the Hokage. Busy at work, the old man did not seem all that surprised to see Jiraiya nor happy about it.

"It seems you finally return."

"Yeah..I was getting homesick."

Their eyes met and it was immediately obvious that was not true. His ulterior motive already discovered the sannin shrugged in an effort to alleviate the tension.

"You expected me to avoid him forever?"

Hiruzen began to smoke from his pipe, allowing the conversation to serve as a distraction from paperwork. His mood did not improve however, worrying Jiraiya.

"I expected you to show some tact..whatever plans you have for Naruto, they won't go the way you hope."

His student's eyes narrowed on the conclusion he was attempting to reveal. It was unfortunate that Minato and Jiraiya had such a falling out over the Namikaze, but Sarutobi could not side with either. In the case of Naruto though, he felt that if Jiriaya were to push his teachings onto the boy it would not be just unfair but make the situation worse.

"So, Minato chose to indoctrinate him too?"

"Watch your tongue Jiraiya, that is his son and regardless of how you disagree with the assassins, they are in his blood. He showed no wishes to stop the initiation or training."

The explanation only served to make him more angry.

"Because he wasn't given a choice in the first place I bet. Where is he? I'll try and salvage the mess before Minato really does screw up his only child."

"Jiraiya, don't do this. It is his choice!"

The younger man began to leave, leaving his teacher with a few harsh words.

"It isn't a choice until he is given more than one option. I'm going to give him a way out."

000

_Konohagakure Outskirts_

_Namikaze Compound_

000

Surmising the best place to start was the old Namikaze compound, Jiraiya hopped the wall but was somewhat careful to remain in hiding. It wouldn't do well to surprise Minato's son or intrude on whatever he was doing, especially with the subject he had to bring up.

The sounds of battle brought his attention to the center of the structure where two figures were fighting in close combat. His eyes widened as they recognized the two, but he began to glare when he saw what Naruto was wearing.

Kakashi and Naruto fought against one another again with simple taijutsu, each using their own unique style. It wasn't long before the blonde chose to up the stakes and began to gather lightning chakra in his hand, forcing Kakashi to do the same. Just as they were about to continue, a loud voice rang out that caused them and the observing Sakura to stop and stare.

"So, Minato really did drag you into the robes did he?"

Naruto was incensed that this person dare insult his father with such impolite speech, not to mention the fact he was trespassing. He didn't seem familiar and he had not seen him around Konoha so he could not put a name to the face. It was clear he was an older gentleman that somehow knew his father though and he did not seem that fond of him.

He looked at Kakashi, with the surprised look on his face as well it seemed like this person must have been a rare sight to even older shinobi.

"Jiraiya-sama? What are you doing here?"

_'Jiraiya? That name sounds familiar..'_

"I don't know who you are but I don't appreciate you trespassing in my clan's home and insulting my father. Leave, now." His tone was not one to argue, but Jiraiya ignored it.

"Just like Minato, trying to hide behind the 'clan' and its 'rules'. Listen Naruto, you won't become a strong shinobi if you let your clan's rules hold you back. Let me teach you the way of a ninja, something your father never really understood."

His insolence caused Naruto scowl and it was clear to both Kakashi and Sakura that the situation was getting out of hand. If the situation wasn't defused soon then the two would end up fighting one another.

_'Jiraiya..my father mentioned him before. He respected him, but realized they could not see eye to eye, so he decided it was best to end their relationship. Clearly it was Jiraiya that was the one that would not see reason, not the other way around.'_

"My father may have respected you, but I can't give the same respect with the way you speak about my family as if we are nothing. If you dare say another word against the Creed, to which I have sworn my life to uphold, I will fight you right here!"

He entered a challenging stance waiting for the obvious result. Before Jiraiya could respond Kakashi entered between the two of them with his hands up in an attempt to dissuade them from violence.

"Jiraiya-sama, under Konoha law you must respect a clan head's wishes to leave his premises. Even if you were Minato-sensei's teacher, it doesn't give you the right to tell his son what to do. Talking to him like this will only hurt your cause so please.." His voice trailed off as Jiraiya did not seem any more considerate of the situation but he did seem defeated in one sense.

"I can see there is no talking to you right now. I'll give it some time so perhaps you can see the right path to pick, the one your father chose to ignore."

Naruto did not respond as the Sannin disappeared, and he only became further annoyed with the looks of concern from his fellows. To allow someone like that to anger him was one thing but even then, it wasn't like it was the end of the world that he denied his help. No matter how much power he could receive in return for following Jiraiya, he would not turn his back on the Creed to do it.

_'Refusing help from Jiraiya of the Sannin..I hope Naruto made the right choice.'_ Kakashi muttered, unsure of what to think of the brief but tense spat.

He wasn't sure he could make the same decision, knowing the kinds of enemies they would be facing in the near future. Perhaps the Hokage could shed more light on the conflict, he decided to go see him as soon as possible. For now though, he had to continue to train Naruto and ensure he and Sakura were ready for whatever would come with the third exam.

000

"Finally...I thought they would never leave."

Dosu said in an annoyed tone as he and Kin came out of Naruto's house, just after watching Kakashi and Sakura leave. To ensure there was no trouble they made sure to hide during the times when the two visited the compound, even without Naruto explicitly saying to. That was another thing they were beginning to suffer from, doing things for him and each other even when they weren't asked.

It was somewhat unsettling after the grueling environment they were used to living in. Without fear of immediate punishment or surveillance they felt oddly at comfort and expanded their interests and willingness to do things for each other. Whether it was from the Namikaze's influence or something they always had inside of them, Dosu did not know.

At the same time, they weren't in a hurry to return to their old patterns.

"Will you be taking a rest, Namikaze-dono?" Kin asked as Naruto approached them, quietly in a tone she hoped would not bring any unwanted attention from the powerful assassin.

"Of course not, training isn't over."

They looked at one another, not understanding what he meant. As soon as he made the gesture to join him they entered the arena and soon found out what he meant. He wasn't only training himself and his apprentice, Naruto wanted to train _them _as well. Surprised, the two quickly found themselves going through the same regime as observed earlier, even with the same tone and attention he had gifted to the pink haired girl.

Dosu watched Naruto instruct Kin on her senbon weapons, not understanding. Why did he do the things he did? He could have killed them or just ignored their existence, and of all things he was training them.

_'Who are you, Naruto Namikaze..'_

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hokage Office_

000

"Minato was my student, it should only be right for me to train his son!"

"That is up to Naruto and his current teacher Kakashi to decide, not you Jiraiya."

Placing a hand on his forehead in a vain attempt to calm the growing headache, Jiraiya could see he would not be training the blonde any time soon without the Hokage's help. Sarutobi seemed dead set on leaving it up to the younger boy even though it was clear it was too late to just leave it up to him to choose. Since he had already been inducted the best he could do was train him and influence him in the same way Minato did, but with the way of shinobi.

Kakashi entered the room with a silent cue and showed his stance on the subject by standing close to the Hokage. He was still conflicted on whether it was the right choice, but Naruto had made his decision. As his old caretaker and teacher it was up to him to respect that and convey his wishes properly to the stubborn sannin.

"Naruto made it clear he wished to follow in his father's footsteps. Regardless of whether you think it the right choice or not, it is not in your best interests to pursue the matter further. You will only come to blows with him, should you meet again."

An accusing finger landed on the Jonin and he became the new target.

"I heard everything from the Hokage, you are just as much at fault for leaving him there at the compound. He was young and vulnerable, he needed flesh and blood not some lost will of the Namikaze. It's nonsense!"

"It isn't nonsense to him, and that is what matters. He is a strong shinobi and a very talented assassin, if not for his father he would not be where he is now."

Jiraiya merely crossed his arms in response to Hiruzen's flattery. It remained to be seen how far that path could take him, just as Minato had found an obstacle he could not overcome so would his son. His judgment would be clouded by the Creed and his duties would conflict with that of the village, tearing them apart.

"I'll keep my distance, but I _will_ be keeping an eye on him. It's up to you to teach him something useful Kakashi, don't let him close his mind any further or else he will never grow strong."

"I fully intend to train my student until he is stronger than anything I can hope to beat, Jiraiya."

Satisfied or not, the sage took his leave. The tension did not leave with him though and an awkward silence remained with the two men still left behind.

"Hokage-sama.."

"It's fine Kakashi..have a little faith in Naruto. His father made the same choice and did not regret it, wherever he ends up will be because of his choice. All we can do is watch over him for now."

Kakashi took solace in the fact his teacher, Naruto's father made the same choice. Minato had always struck him as a powerful shinobi, regardless of his clan. If that was what Naruto was aiming for, he had no objections.

000

_Some Weeks Later.._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Hospital_

000

Naruto held a brisk pace as he walked through the halls. As always he received stares from all those he passed, nurse and patient alike, because of his clothing. This time though the eyes did not linger on his robes but on the bouquet of flowers he held for a certain person he was coming to visit.

Having made it a habit to see Karin almost every day of the month of his training and her recovery, he had made sure to get flowers for the day she was to be ready to leave the hospital. She promised to stick around for his usual visit before returning to her group and preparing for the final exam. It was his hope that with this final meeting that it would in turn bring them closer to seeing each other again in the future.

He had high hopes they would not be seeing each other for the last time. There was still good in Karin, and he was determined to see her embrace it.

Arriving at the correct door, he opened it to be greeted by an empty bed. Confused he approached the room still filled with medical equipment and all of her information gathered over the last few weeks. Did something come up that she was forced to leave early? The finals _were_ tomorrow..

_'No, she wouldn't leave without a reason.'_

It was then that he noticed a small piece of paper left behind on her bed, cold from being empty for too long. Already he surmised what it would read, but his hands still just slightly trembled as they tried to open the folded note. Upon reading its contents the blonde dropped both it and the flowers to the ground without so much as a single word.

Hesitating for a moment he turned on his heel and left for the last time. Not at all what he had hoped for his anxiety for the meeting was all but lost. Instead, anger and disgust welled inside of him threatening to burst out should he have chosen to pursue. Logic won, he would go back to his original idea of Karin; a spy, someone not to be trusted.

The door shut quietly, not even it could betray the feelings the blonde held inside. Her note lay idle and she was long gone, but the words would remain etched in his head for some time until fate chose they meet again.

Then, he would be ready.

_I'm sorry, I guess you were wrong about me._

_Karin_

000

_Konohagakure_

_Arena_

000

Cheers erupted as Naruto and Sakura walked onto the arena floor to join the rest of the participating genin. They kept their distance from the others to keep up appearances and not attract attention. Sasuke was also alone, now wearing a black Uchiha outfit that they had not seen on him before. The time they were apart did not seem to heal the wounds of conflict between the two as neither did not so much as glance.

One oddity was that their proctor, Hayate, was not present. Instead another Jonin was attending for him and he did not seem all that excited about the job placed on him. He rolled a senbon around in his mouth, impatiently waiting for the festivities to begin as the last of the contestants entered the arena.

Shikamaru took little solace in how many Leaf fellows joined him as he knew they would be forced to fight if he won. If he didn't win against the Suna girl though, he knew he would not hear the end of it from the others. Resigned to being screwed either way the boy kicked the ground and cursed under his breath waiting for his match to get done already.

Kankuro and Temari fidgeted nervously, it felt odd without Gaara joining them. Because of her early elimination they were forced to change their plans, something which worried them and their teacher. There was no telling how the jinchuuriki girl would react to the fights even from her distance in the stands. With that in their minds they glanced up toward their teacher and sister, watching them from high above.

Gaara stood by the rail while Baki remained seated relatively close behind. She had surprisingly been able to keep herself calm for the most part during the month which meant they were ready to proceed with the new plan. With luck her anger would not get the better of her until Baki was able to properly get her in place for transformation.

The only problem was that she insisted to be allowed to watch the battles which was the one thing the Jonin was afraid of. If she triggered the transformation too early the entire invasion could fail.

_'Steady Gaara..'_ He eyed her with a careful glare one of which was ignored by her as she watched the events unfold down below.

Her senses allowed her to pick up on the conversation as the Leaf Jonin explained the rules for the final round. That was not what she was focused on instead she had her eyes only on the assassin. Every move he made and every word he whispered to his pink headed partner, she wanted to know. There was only one conclusion to this situation that she could foresee and it would end with blood, _his blood_.

_'Naruto Namikaze..I will enjoy killing you and everyone who tries to stop me.'_ For making her relive that memory and embarrassing her, she would not let that go.

The crowd only got louder as the genin were dismissed to the viewing box while Shikamaru and Temari stayed behind for the first match. Snack vendors roamed the aisles calling out their delicious treats while the nobles laid all their fortunes on the table for lucrative betting. Not only was it an entertaining show to watch shinobi beat each other up but it could also make a lot of money if everything went well.

In particular, a Kusa feudal lord noticed Naruto and Sakura enter the arena and motioned for his men behind to leave. He had a particularly large investment in the Namikaze and wanted to make sure everything went well. From his father he had learned having muscle helped solve problems much easier than words.

000

Naruto and Sakura trailed behind the others as they headed up to their designated waiting area. They were not speaking to one another as both had a lot on their minds. Sakura still worried how her match against him would go while Naruto was still considering Orochimaru and the problems he had with the man's red heads.

Their thoughts were interrupted when two cloaked Kusa shinobi stopped them. They turned to look at Sakura who was just as confused as Naruto, although he started to catch on as they began to speak.

"We need to give a message to the girl Namikaze. It won't take long."

Naruto stepped between them and Sakura, making it clear he wouldn't leave. Not understanding the girl let her boyfriend speak for her in hopes of understanding what these two men wanted with her.

"You two shouldn't be here. Return to the stands with your lord and let him know the match will be handled fairly."

They smiled, realizing that words wouldn't be enough. It was why they took the job apart from the pay, they just couldn't stay away from a good fight.

"Well, if we must-"

"Sakura!"

"Right!"

Before they could finish their threat the two genin launched forward and hit the two men in their stomachs, knocking the air out of their lungs. Sakura jumped into the air and launched a kick to the side of the man's face sending him flying into the wall; Naruto took the man's face in his hand threw him to the ground with enough force to knock him unconscious.

As if nothing happened, the two dusted themselves off and continued on. The pink head was disgusted that someone was betting on their match and a little disappointed she was bet against, but looking to her partner she knew why. Her only hope that Naruto's idea of how their match would go really did happen as she was not looking forward to fighting him, if anything for the bruises she would no doubt incur.

000

_Temari is the victor of the first round._

000

Boos echoed around the stadium as the Leaf genin conceded even as he had the Suna girl right where he wanted her. His explanation seemed legitimate with the way he described but most felt as if he was throwing the match for his own sake. It did not reflect well on Konoha but for the Suna girl it was a hollow victory that served only to frustrate her.

Naruto watched the match with Sakura by the railing but his mind was elsewhere, not noticing the girl's disappointed comment about their friend. Instead his mind and chakra wandered as he and Kyuubi felt something off about the entire event.

"_**You are right, there are many powerful chakra signatures. Too many to be just security.."**_

"_I doubt they are all from Konoha either, the more we get into the exam the more tense it gets. Something is wrong here.."_

"Kiba Inuzuka and Rock Lee, please come down for your match!" Genma shouted and the two were happy to oblige, excited to show their stuff.

With new combatants the crowd quieted down considerably as the new betting began, this match not so clear on who would be the easy winner.

Meanwhile the blonde's mood continued to dim as his mind raced with the possibilities of what was happening.

000

_Rock Lee is the victor of the second round._

000

A mixed response was received as the Inuzuka was escorted to the infirmary by medical shinobi. Clan shinobi were often favorites to bet on as it was similar to an animal's pedigree; this time, it only served to make the defeat all the more embarrassing at the hands of a taijutsu user.

Rock Lee took a respectable bow to his opponent and the crowd before returning to the viewing box, not surprised but not overjoyed at the outcome either. He had surmised Kiba would not provide a big challenge although he hoped to be wrong, even then he felt bad that he could not have had his abilities pushed to the limit.

_'My wish is to fight him but..'_ Lee eyed Naruto who seemed lost under his hood, his brow furrowed. _'It seems I am foiled again, for now.'_

Sakura's worry began to boil as her body shook slightly. Her mind could only give her the worst outcomes of the upcoming match between her and Naruto, and it frightened her. A reassuring hand on her shoulder showed the blonde had no such worry and urged her to feel the same.

"Sorry, I just.." She avoided eye contact, embarrassed.

"Don't worry Sakura. Regardless of the outcome nothing between us will change, I promise." His kind words seemed matter of course to her, but it still served to cheer her up a bit.

"Shino Aburame and Kankuro, come down for your match!"

"I forfeit!" The puppet user shouted, surprising the crowd and eliciting a strong negative response.

Shino eyed his opponent and wondered what the problem was. Did he get cold feet? Perhaps there was something going on that they couldn't see.

Genma gave it a pause before deciding he was serious. If that was his choice there wasn't much he could do about it. The crowd wasn't having it though so he felt it best to move forward quickly.

"Alright then, Naruto and Sakura. You two come on down for your match!" The two perked up and leaped over the railing as the crowd cheered loudly.

It was finally time for the most anticipated match; a Namikaze was finally in the arena again after so much time had passed. It was almost unheard of to see an assassin fight shinobi like that so it an event to be seen, for sure.

Naruto and Sakura walked to either side of the field with the instructor between them. He lowered his hand between the two of them to prepare the match but the blonde's eyes were elsewhere. They scanned the crowd and soon locked on the red head of Suna, noticing her aquamarine eyes were locked on his own with a deadly glare.

_'Is this the chance you were waiting for? Now is your chance..so will you take it?'_

He continued to watch her as his ears faintly picked up the instructor announce the match start. Looking back to Sakura he saw her in the air already about to launch an attack for his head. Rolling out of the way he charged forward and met her blade with his own, beginning a test of strength between the fighters. They eyed each other for a moment before launching back from one another.

Sakura readied kunai to throw while Naruto crouched and began going through hand signs, wondering how long he would have to keep up the farce. There was a ticking time bomb in the arena regardless of what all the other high level shinobi were doing there. He was willing to bet it would go off soon and that he would be the target, his only question would be if anything _else_ would happen when Gaara chose to attack.

For now though he just had to entertain the crowd and get warmed up for what was sure to be a tough battle ahead.

000

You know me by now, cliffhangers are just what I do. Next chapter is sure to be action packed as the war begins for real and the young genin are thrust right into the middle of it. How will they react and who will shine under the pressure?

Let me know in a review what you thought about the chapter.

I'll be seeing you next time in _Mercenary for Hire_ as Naruto takes the offensive against Orochimaru's organization.


	16. Illuminating the Path

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 16

Illuminating the Path

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

_Text/Writing_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Time for the much needed update for this story. It seems like all of my stories, even the AU _Mercenary_, are about in the same spot in the time line and events. It is time for the major climax of the early arcs, the Invasion of Konoha!

I find it funny that many complain about Sakura's place in the harem because of her hair color. Folks, pink is a shade of red. Deep red or bright Uzumaki red does not make that the only classification of 'red head' in anything other than the most strictest term.

And by the way, I totally called Karin being an Uzumaki before Kishimoto released that chapter! Glad to see things are lining up nicely for this story.

000

_The Creed_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Stadium_

_'Can't expend too much chakra..'_ Naruto thought as he finished weaving hand signs.

Sakura released her wave of kunai, sending them straight for his center mass. They were across the arena from each other so Naruto had a little bit of time. She hoped that whatever his plan was, he would make it obvious enough for her to follow.

"**Fūton: Daitoppa!**" The kunai went flying from their original trajectory, scattering with the powerful gust of wind.

Naruto charged forward and met Sakura in close combat. They knew each others moves so they could counter almost immediately, but even without enhanced speed, the blonde was beating her. The hits started pouring in, but she could tell he was holding back as she felt little power behind them.

All he was doing was putting on a show for the crowd, trying to make it look real. In her gusto to start the match she had been going all out to start with. How silly she must have looked to him.

Their blades crossed again in the middle of the battlefield. Neither showed an ability to give up. They would go all the way to the end in stalemate if they had to.

It did not take a genius to realize Naruto was holding back. Some of the higher ranked shinobi watching the matches shifted uncomfortably. They wondered if he was doing it on purpose as some insult to the chunin exams themselves; others wondered if this was a part of some plan he had developed with his female partner. Perhaps they were trying to cheat in some way?

Some of the nobility were focused on Sakura the entire fight. They watched her flexible form as she performed during the fight, amazed and enamored. She was consequently labeled as a possible marriage partner for their sons, some even considering adding her to their own harems. Age mattered little to those with money and greed, their ambitions blinding common sense.

What they didn't realize was that when a Namikaze dedicated himself to something or someone, there was no stopping them. Sakura would not be given to any other man as long as Naruto drew breath. Considering neither of them were putting much effort into killing the other one in the arena below, his death would subsequently be a while off.

But that was if Gaara had no say in the matter.

The red head in question was still watching from the stands, becoming more and more infuriated with each passing second the assassin remained breathing. Why was this girl not trying harder? She wanted blood to be spilled, it was the only way she would be able to contain herself. If the match was not going to give her the outcome she desired, then perhaps Gaara would have to do it herself.

_'I can't..I can't wait any longer..must kill..the Namikaze.'_ Her consciousness was overwhelmed with bloodlust, there was no turning back.

Deep inside her, Shukaku smirked. What made him even more satisfied with the situation was that he was not even the instigator; the killing intent all originated from the jinchuuriki. The silly plans the Suna shinobi had tried to put together to manipulate him would fail. Gaara would unleash him on her own accord and on his terms, and then he would have some fun with all the squishy humans lying around.

Baki sat close by to Gaara and saw her starting to react violently to the match. Maybe it was time to get her out of there after all. If he could break her line of sight then perhaps there was still a chance the invasion plan could be salvaged. If he left her alone, Shukaku could escape before they were ready!

"Gaara.." He began to make his way toward her, his hand extended to grab her shoulder.

Before he could touch her, she disappeared in a wisp of wind. It carried her ephemeral form from the stands to float above the arena.

Baki cursed, knowing it was too late to stop her from interfering. Around him a few suspicious Leaf jounin and chunin stood up after seeing his student disappear. Even more sleeper agents of Oto began to cast their eyes around the stands, planning their attack. It wouldn't be long before everything happened at once.

000

"This match couldn't get any more boring. Come on Sakura!" Ino yelled from her seat.

She was annoyed that the pink head was taking so long to beat Naruto. If Sakura could somehow pull of beating the Yamanaka then handling that chump shouldn't have been so hard she thought. It was mostly just a way of Ino nursing her pride after the loss, but she had given what Sakura said some thought. Perhaps they had really lost their way focusing too much on Sasuke.

_'If that's true and Sakura is so focused, why can't she land a solid hit?'_

"Come on Ino, it's not all bad. Those two trained together, of course its going to take a while for one to win." Chouji actually said something smart as he munched on potato chips.

That just made the blonde want to hit him over the head harder. Who said she asked for his opinion?

"Chouji _is_ right you know. Judging from the way those two-" Her pineapple head partner tried to weigh his opinion, but Ino was quick to shut him up.

"Aw shut it Shikamaru, you gave up in the middle of your match. No one cares what you say!" Shikamaru didn't have a retort for that, frowning.

Their eyes turned back to the match when they saw something very odd. A bunch of sand was gathering in the air right over the arena. It was starting to take shape and it..almost looked like a person. Wait, there was only one sand user in the entire exam!

_'Gaara?!'_ All three realized, fear creeping into their hearts.

What the hell was she planning to do? The proctor must have seen her by now right? They would have to stop her before she interfered with the match or did some real damage. Naruto may have beaten her once but all that did was piss her off!

"Wha-what do we do?!" Chouji asked Shikamaru, chomping his food down even faster.

"I-I dunno..we better go find one of our teachers before-"

"Too late! Shikamaru, look." Ino yelled as she stood from her seat, pointing at something.

The Nara turned to see Gaara had fully reformed in midair. Her sand floated all around as she began to fall toward the earth, straight for Naruto and Sakura. A long whip of sand shot from her side as she seemed to be trying to hit someone on the ground.

"Dammit! What the hell is she doing?!"

000

The Sandaime Hokage and the Yondaime Kazekage watched in complete silence as Gaara began her rogue attack on the stadium. One was too shocked to utter a phrase, the other too entertained to interrupt the moment. A pin drop could be heard between the growing distance that separated the two Kage.

Hiruzen turned to look at his counterpart, a question forming on his lips. It seemed the Kazekage realized this and began to turn in response, his eyes betrayed the elation taking over him. Gaara's attack may not have been expected, but it was no incident.

There was something very wrong with what was going on. Before they could ascertain what, the arena floor exploded in the sound of an earth shattering explosion. Dust launched up into the air, obscuring their vision of one another.

As Naruto had to deal with Gaara, the Hokage found himself facing an old enemy.

000

_Moments earlier_

Naruto and Sakura were locked in close combat with Genma watching from a distance. They were so focused on the fight that the fact Gaara had arrived over the stadium did not occur to them. Only when Naruto sensed a mass of killer intent from above did he realize what was going on.

Before Sakura could throw another punch, Naruto pushed her with enough force to send her flying away. He looked up and saw Gaara's sand arm inches from his head.

_'Not enough time to dodge, have to block!'_

Naruto's arms seem to come up in slow motion as the hit sent him into the ground, rocking the stadium. His face hit the ground hard an he felt the sand pool around him in an attempt to keep him down. To prevent Gaara from getting a strong hold Naruto built a thin layer of chakra around his body. It would buy him some time while he assessed the situation.

Gaara landed on the battlefield, her face twisted in a maniacal smirk. She finally hit him with her full power, but that was just the beginning. Now that she had him in the sand, the Namikaze would not escape his desert coffin. Gaara's focus was so great that she did not see Genma coming at her from the other side.

The tokubetsu jounin ruling over the matches had seen the whole thing. He cursed himself for not being fast enough to stop her from hitting Naruto, but he would pay the girl back for the cheap shot. It would take a lot more to bring down the assassin if Minato's ability was anything to go by—his son was practically a spitting image of him.

A new presence forced Genma to stop in his tracks, just a few feet from Gaara.

Baki landed on the arena floor as he knew the plan would have to begin now. Whether they liked it or not, they had to work with Gaara regardless of her cooperation or lack thereof. They couldn't abandon her when they were so close to the actual attack, and she might still prove useful if her transformation was controlled properly.

"Sorry, but I won't let you interfere." The Suna jounin said, building up wind around his hand.

Genma smirked, already thinking up his one liner retort.

"Isn't that my line?"

Sakura had been gathering her bearings from Naruto's sudden push. She had not been expecting it and the power he used forced the wind right out of her lungs. On the far side of the arena she picked herself up and looked in horror at the large crater Gaara was standing over. Sakura saw her trying to do some sort of technique with her hands and she knew what was coming.

_'No! No, I won't let you hurt him!'_

"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!" Sakura burst into a sprint, hands digging into her waist pouch for weapons to throw.

Gaara ignored her pleas and continued to try and wrap her sand around Naruto's body. His impromptu chakra shield was keeping her from getting a solid grip, but he wouldn't last long. Her sand was slowly suffocating him as he remained on his stomach, unable to move.

"Time to die, Namikaze." She said with more than a hint of glee.

Kunai and shuriken came inches in front of her before they were intercepted by sand. Gaara looked up and saw Sakura approach, annoyed by her intrusion. She sent a few tendrils of sand at her, but Sakura was too fast and slid to the side, continuing her charge.

Sakura was close now, close enough to use her blade. She leaped into the air with her weapon raised. There was no hesitation in her movements, she was willing to kill Gaara if it meant protecting Naruto. A sheet of sand was already forming between the two girls that would prevent the attack and possibly kill Sakura. If it gave Naruto enough time to escape, then maybe it would be worth it.

Before Sakura could complete the attack, a blur of motion grabbed her body as it went in the opposite direction. The Naruto in the crater disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing it to be a clone. In reality the assassin had substituted himself during Sakura's distraction, hiding in one of the surviving trees. He knew Gaara's defense and he knew that Sakura's attack was doomed to fail, so he stopped things from getting out of hand.

Enraged her target was getting away, the red head turned to pursue. She didn't even bother to wait when her sensei called out to her, instead choosing to run after those two. They were already scaling the wall after all and she would need to hurry.

"Wait, Gaara!" Baki paid for his moment of distraction when Genma fired a senbon that cut his cheek.

"I'm your opponent here pal." They launched at one another in renewed fervor as battles all around the stands continued.

000

Kakashi fought back to back with Gai against what felt like a never ending amount of enemy ninja. There were a few other Leaf shinobi, but most were either unconscious or had left the stadium to protect the village. Even then casualties were all around, some slumped against walls or impaled to the ground.

"Where did all of them come from?" Gai asked as he sent an Oto jounin flying with a severe kick to the stomach.

"Must have hid with the spectators, hiding their chakra signatures. We've been infiltrated."

Kakashi ducked under a kunai thrust and went through hand signs, gathering lightning chakra. He struck the enemy ninja in front him through the chest with his technique, Raikiri. The light left their eyes with a final breath of exasperation laced with pain before they fell limp against Kakashi's arm. With no time for finesse he let the body drop to the floor before leaping toward the next target, an Oto chunin about ready to strike down Shikamaru.

The Nara felt blood spray onto his face as Kakashi ran the unsuspecting enemy through. Although he had been saved, he sure didn't feel any better. Maybe he was a bit squeamish or maybe the entire invasion had thrown the lazy genius for a loop. He sat there with a blank expression on his face, trying to figure out what to do.

"Shikamaru!" Kakashi shouted, trying to wake the boy up. "Get yourself ready, you and Pakkun are going to track down Naruto and Sakura. Try and help them if you can!"

Kakashi knelt down next to the stunned genin, preparing the summoning technique. Gai fought off any of the enemy that tried to interrupt them without fail. The two jounin were unfazed by the war, their surprise stowed away for later; all they had on their minds was their duty to their village and fellow shinobi.

_'I know Naruto's power, but there is no telling what Gaara will do in her state. It can't hurt to send backup.'_ Besides, it would keep another genin out of the main battle.

"Kakashi! Sasuke and Shino took off after them already." Gai shouted from the front of the booth, able to see the arena and contestant box.

"I expected that." Kakashi sighed, summoning his ninken tracker.

The two Konoha genin had left at separate times but were both headed in the same direction that Naruto took. The Suna siblings had already taken off after their sister, no doubt in an attempt to stop her. There was no stopping that girl though, not after the look everyone saw in her eyes.

The dog looked around for a moment to take in the situation, a little bit surprised. Other than that, he remained surprisingly calm as Kakashi filled him in.

"Pakkun, I need you to take Shikamaru and find Naruto and Sakura. They are trying to lead a very dangerous Suna ninja away from the village, and they may need help fighting her."

"You got it, Kakashi. I'll have their scent in a second, come on kid." Shikamaru had recovered his bearings by that point but he was against the plan.

"No way! I'm not going after those guys, you must be crazy. Naruto and Sasuke can handle that girl easily, they don't need me!"

Kakashi gave him a harsh look that made Shikamaru shut his mouth. There was no time to argue in the situation they were in.

"Shikamaru, I'm not telling you this in order to torment you. This is a war and I am giving you an _order_. Follow it, or else your comrades may die!"

"Come on! We don't have much time." Pakkun urged.

Gai punched a hole through the wall for them to escape through. He didn't even wince from the hard stone wall's resistance.

Cursing under his breath Shikamaru allowed himself to be lead out by the tracker dog. He knew he would regret making that decision, but damn if Kakashi didn't make an argument. Not only that, he was scary too.

The two jounin that remained returned to a back to back stance. They wouldn't let any Oto shinobi through.

"Come on Kakashi, let's have a competition. See how many we can take down in five minutes?"

Kakashi's mask hid a grim smile as he readied a kunai.

"This might be the first time I willingly take you up on a challenge...Let's go!"

000

Naruto and Sakura flitted across the rooftops of Konoha. They were making for the outskirts of the village, made up of vast swaths of forests that took up a surprisingly large part of Konoha's interior. Below them the civilians were still walking about and working as if nothing had happened, but the assassins were sure the battle would make it there eventually.

Explosions and smoke could be heard and seen from where they were, signifying the attack had already begun. Orochimaru's plan was going just as he had foreseen, Konoha had been caught off guard. Naruto cursed their ignorance, they should have read the signs and prepared more thoroughly.

No time to rest on the past, he had to focus on the now.

"Naruto! Where are we going?" Sakura had been following Naruto blindly for the past five minutes.

She didn't want to say anything lest she break his concentration, but Gaara wasn't giving up. If they were going to fight her they needed to have a plan of attack. Things seemed hopeless though, that girl didn't seem concerned with risking her life if it meant killing them. That meant it wouldn't be easy to kill, let alone subdue the Suna genin.

"We need to lead Gaara away from the village where she won't be a threat. If she really wants to fight me that badly, it should work." They were nearing the forest now and so they needed to prepare fast.

Kyuubi extended his chakra and could sense the Ichibi not far behind. He relayed that information to Naruto as the two of them became one, begrudgingly. Naruto may have not wanted to rely on his jinchuuriki power, but he would need it in that case. No matter how strong he was, fighting a fellow tailed beast container would require power that he alone could not muster.

"_**Kid, this is going to get dangerous. You are going to need my chakra."**_

_'Last resort. If I'm not careful, I could do more harm than good by losing control. Don't mess with me Kyuubi, I'm busy.'_

Naruto received an annoyed growl but paid his tenant no mind. Kyuubi would learn through experience that Naruto was the one in control, not the other way around.

"_Anko!"_

Naruto used his telepathy to reach out to his subordinate. With Orochimaru so close by he had to make sure she knew the danger and stayed away. That time he couldn't be around to protect her if she tried something reckless so he had to be sure she was safe.

It took a long moment, but the woman responded.

"_Yes, Naruto-sama?"_

"_I'm sure you know by now that Konoha is under attack. Oto and Suna are working together against us, and the Hokage is fighting against their leaders now. You must stay away from the stadium!"_

There was a pause before Anko spoke again, her boisterous tone belying her frustration.

"_So that snake finally revealed himself. Ah well, guess I have to give the Third this one. Don't worry Naruto, I'm evacuating the civilians now. I won't do anything too crazy."_

Her tone worried him. Anko was a good shinobi and retainer, but her emotions ruled her when it came to Orochimaru.

"_Anko.."_

"_I mean it Naruto. I'll be fine, you are the one I'm worried about. We all saw the looks that Gaara girl gave you, she must be out for blood."_

"_Yes, I'm leading her away from the stadium now. Sakura and I will handle her, you continue guarding the civilians."_

"_Understood, be careful Naruto-sama."_

Naruto released his link with her before turning his attention back to Gaara. He looked over his shoulder as Kyuubi's senses told him that she was near. Indeed, he could make out her figure in the distance. Just like a shark followed blood in the water, the red head was not willing to give up so easily after hitting him the first time.

The two assassins soon entered the forest and started to prepare their attack.

Naruto reached into his waist pouch and revealed a few kunai with wires attached to them. He threw them at certain trees where he created impenetrable lines of defense with the wires littered with all manner of explosive tags. The pattern of traps were arranged in such a way that allowed the Konoha shinobi a level of maneuverability while still being almost impossible to avoid for Gaara.

Sakura placed a few explosive tags on nearby tree branches and trunks. Alongside those she poured a particularly pungent substance along the trees and branches. The healer used a few of the vials she had on her person, practically dousing the battlefield in it.

_'With these solutions coating the area around the tags, Gaara will find it extremely difficult to move. Hopefully that means we can catch her in a blast.' _The fast acting glue sat in wait, not visible to the naked eye.

The smell might have tipped someone off, but it permeated the entire battlefield. It was impossible to ascertain the safe locations in which to stand. Since their enemies were in a rush, they wouldn't have time to examine the battlefield carefully.

"Nicely done, Sakura." Naruto complimented her as they knelt on a high branch, hidden behind a bunch of leaves. "That trick should throw Gaara off enough to leave an opening."

"As long as we concentrate chakra to the soles of our feet, we shouldn't be affected by the adhesive." The two immediately shaped chakra around their feet as they laid in wait to spring the ambush.

No matter how impressive it looked for a genin on genin battle, Naruto knew it would not be enough. Kyuubi was right, he would have to tap into his chakra if things got out of hand. With Gaara's mental instability she surely had no inhibitions of releasing her tailed beast.

That meant Naruto needed to be ready to either eliminate her before it happened, or use the same chakra against her.

"Here she comes!" Sakura said, anticipation building in her voice.

The battlefield was set. All they could do now is wait the precious last moments before combat began. In that time, Naruto solemnly whispered a part of the Creed to bolster himself. It was time for the assassin to strike.

000

Temari and Kankuro struggled to reach their sister in time. The speed she was using was something they couldn't compete with no matter how hard they tried. Even worse, Temari could feel two more pursuing them. It wouldn't end well if they all had a chance to team up against the siblings.

Their only chance was to grab Gaara and retreat. She would only get herself killed if she kept on going against the Namikaze—he already displayed his ability to defeat her in the second exam, not to mention the willingness to kill.

"Dammit, we aren't going to make it in time." Temari muttered in a worried tone.

"Gaara was already starting her transformation when she left the stadium. She must be even worse now.." Kankuro warned as they approached the forest where the two Konoha genin had fled to.

That meant there was no reasoning with her now. They didn't care to admit to it in front of others but, even as her siblings, Temari and Kankuro were scared of Gaara. In that situation trying to talk her down would only result in them being targeted.

"Temari.." His older sister didn't answer, clearly deep in thought. "Temari! We need to make a decision now. The other two are almost here!"

"I know. I know!"

They stopped on the outskirts of the forest to try and formulate a plan. If they could just hold off their pursuers maybe Gaara could win after all. It was a long shot, but she didn't use her tailed beast powers in the second exam. That might give her the edge she needed to win.

It would ruin the invasion plan Baki had drilled into them for months, but at that point their only concern was survival. The mission wouldn't succeed at that rate, not with Gaara like that.

"Alright, we have to hold those two here." Temari told Kankuro, already revealing a few kunai.

Bleak as the situation was, Kankuro kept a straight face. Maybe it wasn't the kind of situation he was hoping for, but at least he could get in on the action.

The two didn't have long to prepare though, as Sasuke and Shino landed on a branch just a bit off from them. Although they didn't know each other well, they both had a score to settle with the Suna siblings. Sasuke wanted to test himself against Gaara and Shino wanted his fight against Kankuro that was robbed from him.

"Get out of the way." Sasuke said with no room for discussion.

There was a good chance Naruto was already fighting the red head, which meant he had little time. He was tired of getting scraps the Namikaze left behind. It was time for the Uchiha to take the lead and remind Konoha of the clan's true power.

"Brash, aren't we?" Temari smirked, readying her throwing hand. She lost her smile as neither of the Konoha shinobi backed down. "You aren't going anywhere."

Shino eyed Kankuro as he unveiled his puppet, the one called Crow. The match during the second exam couldn't tell him much, but from what Shino remembered, ninja puppets were a secret arsenal of weaponry for the puppeteer to use. Just a few chakra threads and it could move like a human and strike with deadly grace.

_'I'll have to use my insects to sever the threads of chakra..render the puppet useless and the puppeteer is finished.'_

"I guess I owe you a match huh?" Kankuro smiled, connecting his chakra threads to Crow.

The puppet stood upright and its teeth chattered—almost like it was chomping at the bit to begin. Both of them were long range fighters so it would be a battle of patience and strategy. Neither of them made any first moves which left Temari and Sasuke to start the combined battle.

"I said..GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Sasuke revealed a kunai from his thigh and launched forward, sharingan blazing.

Temari smirked, too easy.

Kunai collided as the forest behind them exploded in a bright white flash.

000

"_Yashamaru..can you heal pain in your heart?"_

"_Flesh wounds can be healed with time and care..but those of the heart are difficult. There is something though."_

"_What, what is it?"_

…

"_Love."_

000

Smoke filled the battlefield as Naruto and Sakura tried to see if their attack worked.

Just as they expected, Gaara's bloodlust prevented her from thinking clearly—she practically barreled through the first set of traps and into the next. Her sand had protected her as they knew it would, but how could it handle successive explosions?

When Gaara's feet became stuck on one of the branches, Sakura made the ram hand sign and activated her tags. It made the branch, nearby traps, and Gaara the center of a very bright white flash before all but smoke and dust remained.

After a moment or two, they finally saw their opponent.

_'So..it didn't even put a dent in her defense.'_ Naruto bit his lip angrily as he detected the girl still breathing.

"How.." Sakura couldn't find words to describe her shock—they threw everything at her and she was still going?

A dome of sand fell onto a lower branch that remained after the destruction. From its remains crawled Gaara, but not as they knew her. Blue veined sand had taken over her full right arm and half of her face was deformed like some monster. There was no mistaking it was her though as a familiar voice rang out in the forest.

"Is that all? You think you can stop me with simple paper?"

Gaara's eyes roamed the forest in an attempt to find her target. She knew he was here somewhere, she could feel it. There was no escaping her now, she would have him dead!

"Naruto..what do we-"

"Sakura..this isn't a fight you can handle. Stay back while I go."

The thought of him fighting against that..thing alone was enough to make her freeze. How could she knowingly leave him to fend for himself? There must have been something she could do to help him.

"Please, Naruto, don't do this alone. I can still help."

Naruto brought up his blade arm and began to coat it in poison. The blade shone in the sunlight, the vile substance's green tinge just barely visible as he sheathed the weapon.

_'Going to have to go all out. If she completes that transformation, it is all over.'_ If Gaara went too far, they would have no choice but to kill each other.

"You can Sakura, support me from here. Assassins work best alone, if both of us fight then we will only interfere with each other."

Sakura knew what he was trying to do. No matter how he said it, she knew that regardless of the training, she was no match. Worse yet, she just could not follow Naruto's moves to be an effective partner for him. That part hurt her the most.

_'I guess I have no choice..'_ Sakura resigned herself to remaining behind.

"Alright Naruto..but be careful." The look in her eyes said that she would not forgive him if he got hurt.

"Of course." Naruto disappeared in a blur as he moved into position, leaving Sakura alone.

Her eyes wandered the forest, trying to find a way for them to gain the advantage. The hood of her uniform was in the way, so she removed it. No matter its value, she just couldn't stand the thing. With it out of the way she started to locate certain areas in the trees where she could set more traps.

"_Come on Sakura..use your book smarts. You had to learn something useful.."_ She readied a few wires from beneath her wrists.

Assassin or not, the pink haired girl was not going to let herself be left behind. The person she cared about the most was putting his life on the line for her and everyone in the village. How could she stand beside him if she didn't do the same?

000

"Come out, Namikaze! I know you. Your kind love to wait in the shadows and strike like cowards. You think you serve the world, but all you do is cause pain. Let me return it to you!"

Gaara shot sand shuriken randomly around the forest in an attempt to flush Naruto out. She leaped from tree to tree, searching everywhere for him. They had created that battlefield in order to fight her there, so they wouldn't just leave. No, the Namikaze's pride wouldn't allow that.

"You know nothing of the Creed." A voice from behind her, she turned to see..nothing.

"Come out, coward!" She screamed to the heavens, infuriated.

Movement all around but she could not detect where. He was too fast, just like last time. She may have been insane, but Gaara paid attention to those whom held her attention.

_'He may be too fast to dodge..but that's alright, I wasn't planning on doing that from the start.'_

A shadow descended from above, blade poised to strike at her exposed neck. Shukaku's sand used the remains of her gourd to create a deadly tail—tendrils that were sharp enough to pierce wood surrounded its end. Like a flail she swung it out to hit the assassin, but he was too fast. Gaara's attack missed and Naruto's blade dug deep into her sand arm she had used to block.

Naruto tried to retract the blade but failed, the sand was particularly solid. He realized very quickly that her plan all along was to bait him into the attack to get him close. The speed he used wouldn't matter if he was in such proximity.

"Time to die!" Her tail came back around to hit him off her back.

Lightning chakra fed into his blade gave Naruto the power to break free, but she took a piece of robe and chunk off his left shoulder. He flew into a tree trunk, landing with a resounding thud as he tried to gather his bearings. Gaara did not let up as she turned and launched herself at him.

_'How long until I can use my arm?' _He asked the fox as it attempted to heal him.

It groaned in annoyance. Naruto was careless and now he was punished, yet he didn't even stop to think.

"_**A few minutes. You are acting too rash."**_

_'I have to, if I keep this up for too long then she will-'_

"_**Even if she fully transforms, we have ways to beat her. Shukaku is only the One Tail, he is weak to something like me."**_

"You say that.." Naruto held his bloodied arm, clearly in pain. "But she hits hard."

A whistle of wind could be heard as a kunai trap was released—dozens of the projectiles came down from the treetops. Gaara was forced to stop and hold up her arm to shield herself. Sakura was still in the fight, Naruto thought with a smile.

No doubt she would kill him for receiving such a wound. There was no time for her to help him though, as Gaara was back on the warpath.

"Nothing will stop me..**NOTHING!**" Her voice got deeper and deeper as the inner demon eased itself into control of her body.

Gaara launched herself at Naruto as he recuperated in the tree trunk. With his blood freely flowing, her senses had gone haywire. Shukaku encouraged her to finish the job, releasing more of his chakra for her to use.

She watched him do something to the tree, but it didn't matter. They were only seconds from each other, her sand arm reaching out to squeeze the life from his body.

Naruto jumped into the air and freed himself from the bull's eye Gaara had painted. He looked down and saw her land in the spot he was just in, right where he wanted her. The seal he placed on the tree was hard to see, let alone make out with Gaara's distracted eyes.

"_Katsu!"_ The ink glowed a bright red before igniting.

A scream echoed the forest as the jinchuuriki was enveloped in fire. Naruto landed on a nearby tree branch and took a look at his arm to see the progress. It wouldn't be much longer before it was usable again, then he could use hand seals. A well placed Chidori might be enough to-

"**DIE!"** Naruto turned back in time to see Gaara mere feet away from him, her sand armor still eroding from the explosion.

It wasn't enough to even slow her down and he wasn't in a position to escape the attack. Naruto braced himself in his crouched position, ready to take the brunt of the strike. The attack never hit him though although he sincerely wished it did.

Sakura stood in front of him with her hidden blade out, ready to defend his life. She couldn't stand by any longer and watch him die trying to kill Gaara. If her only use was to be his shield, then so be it.

"**Out of my way!"** The sand arm latched onto Sakura and immediately broke her defense.

It extended far from Gaara's body and slammed the pink head into a tree trunk behind Naruto. She cried out in pain from the impact but tried to struggle free. It was no use, the sand was too strong and it only tightened its grip. If it lasted much longer, Sakura wasn't sure she would be able to breathe. With the last of her strength she curled a finger of hers that was wrapped in wire.

"_Now..Naruto.."_ Sakura gasped for breath as the sand tightened around her. _"Is your chance..do it."_

The wire she pulled on was linked to a great deal of other traps and it set them all off simultaneously. This time instead of a torrent of projectiles, eight kunai launched from all different directions toward Gaara. They were attached to thin steel wires that quickly wrapped and bound the jinchuuriki in a single, unmoving mass.

Naruto looked at the struggling opponent in front of him, amazed at Sakura's ingenuity. Even after he told her to stay back, Sakura was still able to create of a trap of that level. She not only put herself in Gaara's way to protect Naruto, but to estimate the distance and pull required to accurately hit her target.

_'Sakura..you..'_ Naruto brought his hands together and began going through hand signs. _'..have become a great partner.'_

"_**Killing her will gain you nothing. Ichibi will only reform-"**_

"That's alright, I'm not going to kill her." Naruto completed the technique and had one hand in the ram hand sign, the other with his pointer and middle finger extended. "**Fuinjutsu: Hei!**"

Similar to the Hyuuga, Naruto sent his extended fingers out and hit Gaara in the stomach. Even with two fingers the force was enough to knock the air from her lungs and quiet her loud protests. Before she could recover, Naruto retracted the arm and made a new seal with his free hand, something that looked like half of the Rat sign.

**"********Hyouketsu!****"**

The second attack was not as harsh as the first. That time instead he used an open palm to apply a seal that covered Gaara's entire body. Ink lines appeared from her stomach that spread across her arms, legs, and torso until it reached her head. All of her struggles ceased as the seal effectively kept her from moving. It wasn't powerful though, she could tell that with enough chakra she could break it.

If Shukaku could just-

It was to Gaara's horror when she realized Shukaku's influence had retreated back into her seal. The sand that he had gifted her with fell to the ground, harmless. Her body returned back to normal now that it was free of the demonic chakra, but she could not even use her normal reserves. The two seals, when used in conjunction, effectively stopped her from doing anything.

Sakura's unconscious body started to fall as the sand arm holding her broke apart. A flicker of white rescued her as Naruto laid her down safely on a nearby branch. After discovering that she was without any lasting injury, Naruto left her to rest. He still had to deal with the very angry Gaara.

"How..how could I lose?! I had you and yet..so close to killing you.." Naruto stood in front of her now, her body limply held up by the wire strings.

"You and I..we aren't so different." Naruto's voice changed into something tender, something he reserved only for those he was close to.

Gaara quieted herself, perhaps he could tell her how she failed. Her power, why was it not enough?

"We both grew up with demons inside of us, powerless against our destinies. In the end though, we walked different paths, which have now crossed. I encountered companionship and love and allowed myself to, albeit cautiously, accept it. You.." Her eyes locked with his, waiting his answer. "Fell into darkness and let yourself resemble the thing within."

Naruto sighed as he removed his hood. Truly, he was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of mistaken feelings and misplaced hatred. The girl in front of him was no longer a target or an enemy to fight. She was once again an innocent he was sworn to protect, this time from the nightmares within her.

"Gaara..you lost our fight because you forgot something. You forgot you already gained the power to control your destiny. It was within your mother, your brother and sister, even those you had already forsaken."

Gaara's eyes widened as she remembered what Yashamaru said. The night before he tried to kill her, the night she lost herself. He told her that love was what would save her from the pain. Love her mother had given her since Gaara was born and love her siblings still harbored. Love she had been so willing to forget after Yashamaru's betrayal.

But still, Gaara's sand protected her. Still, her mother remained by her side even after what she had done. Temari and Kankuro still tried to stand with her, even when she had threatened them countless times. Was that..love? Was that what it meant to love someone? Gaara still deserved that?

Naruto watched Gaara mull over what he had said. It was up to her to find the truth in his words, the significance. There was still a chance for her to redeem herself.

He grabbed one of the wires and pulled, releasing the restraints that burned into the Suna genin's flesh.

Before she could fall, Naruto caught her. It was no simple catch, Gaara realized, as he wrapped his arms around her in a comforting fashion.

"There are still people that believe in you, Gaara. Don't waste their feelings by falling to petty feelings like anger."

Naruto lifted her in his arms and laid her against the tree trunk. The seals kept her docile, but he didn't think they were necessary anymore. She was close to passing out from the battle and emotional stress, and it was clear she had a lot on her mind.

Gaara looked into Naruto's blue eyes as he knelt before her. His eyes showed indecision as he wondered whether he should do something or not. She didn't understand why, but even in the presence of her enemy, she felt rather calm.

Seeing Naruto that close, in a peaceful setting, brought on another memory. A happy one she shared with her uncle before his demise.

000

_Yashamaru stood on the Kazekage's office rooftop overlooking the village. His niece, Gaara, rested on his shoulders so she could see the entire village. Her eyes were wide, astonished that she could see so far out. The village really was bigger than she could ever imagine._

"_Yashamaru..this is amazing!" He smiled, glad to see she was so happy._

_That outing would be the last time they would see each other for a while, as Yashamaru had a mission to complete. As the Yondaime's right hand assassin, it was his duty to follow the Creed and kill whoever his leader said to. Already he was in his clan's robes with his weapons hidden from view, safe from Gaara's curious eyes. No doubt she would wonder where he was to go, but it was better she remained in the dark._

"_I'm glad you like it Gaara-sama. When I return from my mission, we can come back here to see the village again."_

_Gaara frowned, reminded of him leaving._

"_Yashamaru, you always wear these robes when you have to go somewhere." Her uncle grimaced, not expecting her to pick up on that. "What do they mean?"_

_That was something he was not supposed to answer, nor was it his place to. The clan head, the Kazekage should be the one to tell her the truth. Until she could control Shukaku though, she could not be trusted._

"_Sorry Gaara-sama, but for now it is something you must wait to find out." Yashamaru did not need to look to know she was frowning. "But one day, you and your siblings will wear these same robes."_

_That intrigued Gaara, but she didn't understand the significance of them. She had seen her father wear them only once, and that was because she had hidden away by his bedroom door one night. _

_From beneath his Kage robes he emerged like Yashamaru, clad in beige and red cloth, armored head to toe. He was frightening to look at, but powerful._

_Since then, Gaara always wondered what it meant to wear those robes. What would she become?_

000

Naruto released her movement seal, against the Kyuubi's suggestion. As far as he was concerned, Gaara was no longer a threat. To keep her safe from Shukaku, Naruto chose to leave the chakra seal on her body until she had recovered. Perhaps, for at least a little while, she could finally rest her eyes.

"Just rest now.." Naruto told her as he made to stand up.

Before he did though, Naruto received something from Gaara. It wasn't something he was expecting, but it was more than enough to lighten his mood.

Gaara smiled, a truly at peace smile. Then she closed her eyes and slept for the first time in a long while.

Naruto sensed chakra signatures approaching and he very much hoped they were friendly. He was tired of fighting for the day. All he wanted to do now was watch over the two girls and keep them safe until the war's end. Maybe he could at least do that.

When Shikamaru and his friends arrived, Naruto cracked a rare smile. It seemed his luck hadn't run out yet.

000

_A few weeks later.._

_Konohagakure_

000

In the days and weeks after the failed invasion, Konoha licked its wounds. Civilians returned to their broken homes and began to rebuild, at first with shinobi support. The regular forces were soon spread thin balancing missions with the rebuilding effort and so civilians were forced to work on their own for much of the time.

During that term, the village laid many of its dead to rest. That included the venerable Sandaime, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who died fighting against Orochimaru. It was a source of odd comfort that the Hokage was said to have died, "with a smile on his face".

The attending judges and nobles that remained from the attack continued their duties in honor of those fallen, choosing those who would continue their shinobi career as chunin. These ranks would not be handed out until they were approved by the new Hokage, whom had yet to be chosen. In secret, the council of Konoha had recruited Jiraiya to, in failing to take the job himself, retrieve Tsunade for the duty.

Jiraiya requested Naruto be allowed to accompany him, but he was denied. Naruto was undeniably strong and, while not on the village's side, was too useful of a tool to be released. Besides, there was no doubt Naruto would reject the idea upon realizing he would be accompanying the Toad Sannin.

For now, Jiraiya would give Naruto some space and ease up on his earlier tactics. He realized that Naruto very much believed in the words his father said, and that taking a tough stance would not be the right path. When things cooled between them, he would offer a better explanation to his previous words and apologize. The time they spent apart while he was on the search for Tsunade should have been enough for the conflict to be buried.

Meanwhile, Team 7 recuperated from the wounds they sustained during the war. Sasuke overexerted himself fighting Temari, allowing his emotions to get the better of him. The wind user had used that to her advantage and severely wounded him, leaving him to stay in the hospital for much of the time following the invasion.

Sakura was bed ridden in the hospital for a week before she was back to full strength. Almost immediately she returned to her daily routine between going to Naruto's compound for training and returning home to sleep. Something about the aftermath of their battle together spurred Sakura to try even harder, and she was progressing nicely.

Naruto himself had done relatively well with Kyuubi's help. He was back to training both himself as well as his subordinates like Dosu and Kin. Both they and Anko had safely avoided Oto's gaze and were safe from harm, something which Naruto was glad about.

When able, he and Kakashi trained together. Their time together was short though, as Kakashi's position as jounin required him to pick up a greater amount of slack with the village's missions. Something of which Naruto himself was immune from.

The others assumed the council had something else planned for him, but Naruto knew the truth. During that unstable time they needed one of their most prized pieces, the assassin jinchuuriki, to remain close to home. He was a symbol of Konoha's resilience, that they could still bite any who tried to take advantage of the weakness.

To emphasize that, Konoha had a leading hand in the negotiations with Suna over a peace treaty and alliance. When the hidden village of Wind country discovered it had been betrayed, they were quick to seek forgiveness. Konoha was relatively lenient in their demands of appeasement and reparations, but by the end it was clear which village was dominant.

It didn't matter much, as Naruto still had his freedom as an assassin to travel about as he pleased. On occasion he would venture into the city with Sakura, to watch the rebuilding efforts. Sometimes he even partook in casual activities that were still somewhat uncomfortable for someone raised as he was, but they made Sakura happy, so he went out on the 'dates' with little complaint.

000

After one of these dates, Naruto returned to his home and realized a messenger bird had arrived. It instinctively entered one of the many bird cages that were around his house, waiting for his return. That immediately told Naruto something was very unique about the situation, and so he hurried to read the information contained in the small scroll the bird carried.

_To the Konoha Namikaze Clan_

_I know that it has been quite some time since our clans last met or traded words, but I have no one else to turn to. In the village of Hoshigakure, a tyrant threatens the lives of all those who live within its walls. With my power alone I cannot stop him, so I must call upon our ancient friends, the Namikaze. _

_As the last of my clan, there is only so much I have to offer as tribute, but if you are a follower of the Creed as am I, I know you will not deny my request._

_Please hurry._

_Natsuhi of the Hoshi Clan_

That was the first time Naruto had ever received a message from another assassin, outside of Zabuza. He had assumed other clans that once had contact with the Namikaze had discovered their fate and cut ties. It seemed this Natsuhi had not realized that he too was the last one of his clan. Perhaps though, that was his opportunity to begin returning the Namikaze to their former glory.

It would also give him an opportunity to be free of the village and properly test himself. Sakura would insist on coming along, and he might actually let her. Experience first hand was the only experience, so by bringing her along he might actually speed her training progress.

Dosu and Kin were also possible choices as he did not like the idea of leaving them so far from his presence, nor did he like the idea of neglecting them for too long. Regardless of how they came into his service, Naruto would treat them with the respect they had earned.

They all might even learn a thing or two from the Hoshi clan as payment for whatever support they can provide.

The message itself was brief and vague, however, and Naruto would have to do some more research on the clan as well as the country it resided in. Once he had the details, he would alert Sakura. Then the two (or four) of them could have their own mission, one final test to see how far they both had come since starting their training.

Naruto felt that soon things would get a lot more busy with the Fifth Hokage around, and so that mission might be the only break they get for a while. With no time to waste, Naruto made his way to his clan's archives to find out more about this so-called, Hoshigakure.

000

And finished. Glad to get this one out there today and finish up the Chunin exam/Invasion arc all in one. It also takes us right into the Search for Tsunade aka Hoshigakure Support arc. Since Naruto was definitely not going with Jiraiya after their tense little showdown, he had to do something with his time other than train. With this new situation, Naruto has a chance to bring a little renown back to the Namikaze name and give Sakura one final test before she passes into assassinhood.

**Be sure to check my profile and vote in the poll I have up if it is relevant to you. I would really like to hear more opinions about the characters I have listed. If you select other, be sure to do as it says and actually send me the suggestion in PM format! Thank you.**

Be sure to review this chapter and tell me what you thought. They keep the story alive!


	17. A Dangerous Gamble

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 17

A Dangerous Gamble

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

_Text/Writing_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

I was not expecting a chapter this big, but it was great progress.

Looks like you guys really want to see Naruto go back in time with my last poll; A Lovely Illusion won out and stayed in the lead the entire time. The most recent chapter in the manga gave me more great material and really expanded on the Hokage, would recommend. Whenever one of my current stories finishes up, expect some NaruxToka action!

For now though, let's see what the Naruto-verse assassins are up to.

Hope you enjoy.

000

_The Creed_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Konohagakure_

_Namikaze Compound_

000

Within the halls of the Namikaze compound, a meeting was taking place. It was among some of the people Naruto felt closest to, for only they could be trusted to attend. It was now time the clan rose back to power, and to do that Naruto required the support of many.

Providing aid to another clan of assassins was only the beginning.

Inside of the main room was where the meeting took place. Naruto sat cross legged on a small cushion at the head of the room, looking over those he had gathered. Behind him lay some of the clan's most treasured tapestries and heirlooms, showing that the pride of the Namikaze was nowhere near gone. With his face hidden behind the hood, Naruto looked quite intimidating in the darkened hall.

"You all have been gathered here today because I have need of you." His eyes passed to each one of them as they remained quiet, waiting for more.

"Today is the day the Namikaze begin to make their return in Konoha. I have officially accepted a contract of assassination from a fellow clan and we will complete the task flawlessly. With this leverage, we will finally receive recognition from the rest of the Fire sect."

Naruto had an air of pride surrounding him, though he sat on a throne of half-truths.

"...All those so willing to forget the Namikaze dominance will be reminded that we remain, hidden by the shadow."

Perhaps he was exaggerating the amount of power that could come from a single contract. The Hoshi clan did not sound like a very affluent group themselves, nor did he know exactly what helping them might entail. That said, Naruto knew that things would only get more interesting with that turn of events.

No longer would Hoshigakure forget that it was the assassins who controlled the world, not shinobi.

"Anko." The woman stiffened at his call but otherwise remained stoic. "See to the compound while I am away and continue to gather what information you can. I want to know more about the Sannin's mission to recover Tsunade as well as who the woman is."

"Understood, Naruto-sama." She bowed her head.

After Jiraiya had left the council with his orders to return Tsunade to Konoha, Anko had quickly gotten word of it through her ANBU contacts. Apparently the old sage had received a platoon of the special forces to help him return Tsunade, specifically by force. Anko remembered some about Tsunade from when Orochimaru mentioned her, but other than her famous abilities, she was unable to inform Naruto of much.

Regardless, knowing who the Godaime Hokage would be was important for any clan. If they could not arrange a deal with the new leadership that would be beneficial to the unique needs of assassins then Naruto would have some trouble gaining the influence and power he desired.

If gathering intelligence on the woman and her compatriots would give Naruto the edge, Anko would do so with pleasure.

With that settled, Naruto turned his attention to two others who sat near the front. They had been most loyal to him and he knew he could count on their support.

"Kaito-san, Ai-san." They stiffened and bowed their heads in respect. "Please carry out the duties I have given you to the best of your ability."

The older man nodded his head as he remembered the scroll Naruto had given to them a few days beforehand. It was of the utmost importance that they gather the resources listed for the Namikaze.

"Yes, Namikaze-dono. We will gather the resources and make preparations for the compound's reconstruction immediately. However.." He seemed hesitant to continue but Naruto encouraged him with a wave of his hand. "The gathering of the resources in a discreet manner as well as the construction may take several years to complete. Is that alright?"

Naruto nodded, he had expected it to take that long. A full renovation of the compound's walls and buildings was no easy feat, but for Naruto to properly restore the clan he would need a home that gave respect to their reputation.

"Yes, that's fine. I have the utmost faith that when it is completed it shall be worthy of the Namikaze, thanks in no small part to your contribution."

Humbled by the praise, Kaito and Ai bowed again.

"We will complete everything as you ask, Naruto-sama." The girl said without any doubt in her tone.

That left only three others to address but they were the most relevant to Naruto's current plan. It would be them who would accompany him to Kuma no Kuni after all. He had already spoken to them before the meeting to be sure they were ready and each one responded positively. They may have even been excited.

"Sakura, Dosu, Kin." They had been waiting for him to call and met his gaze with their own. "Together we will set out for the nearby country that contains the village hidden in the stars. It is here that together we will complete the clan's first assassination contract in over a decade."

It might not have have the same impact on them as they were not Namikaze by blood, but it was still an important event. He hoped they would be able to understand and perhaps even enjoy being a part of it.

"Are you ready?" They responded with a simple nod.

All the training Naruto had given them up to that point had been building up for that mission, the one chance they had to prove it was all for something. A lot was riding on their success—for Naruto and for themselves.

For Sakura, it would finally say that she was strong enough to stand by Naruto. All the time she put into improving herself, she wanted to show it wasn't all for nothing. It was the best way she could think of to pay Naruto back for all he did.

Dosu and Kin had been getting used to having Naruto as their superior. They were already used to the job of a subordinate from Orochimaru, but their quality of life went up a lot since the Namikaze inducted them. It seemed like the best way to pay him back by serving him, and having top quality skills was something they learned was a priceless commodity in the ninja world.

"Yes." Was the resounding answer.

It gave Naruto a short pause, one of pure gratification. Naruto got up from his seat and, following his lead, the rest stood up as well.

"Anko, Kaito, and Ai. You are all dismissed. The rest of us must prepare for our mission." Anko and Kaito bowed and began to walk out, but Ai lingered a moment.

"Naruto-sama.." The girl kept her eyes on the floor, her body swaying a bit.

They all looked at her with dull or confused expressions. Was she sick or something?

Before Naruto could respond, the girl seemed to find her confidence and ran forward. Sakura could barely blink it happened so fast—too fast for her to stop it.

Ai kissed Naruto on the cheek, stunning those still present. Her brown hair tickled his nose and their eyes remained locked for what seemed like the longest time.

"Be safe..Naruto-sama." With that the girl turned to run after her father before he could wonder where she went.

Better she did as Sakura was fuming in the corner.

Sakura liked to think of herself as a fair girl and she was willing to give Ai room to compete. That move was just uncalled for though. How could Sakura compete with the cute blush and eye flutter?

_'Well..at least I still have my hair..'_ She thought with a sigh, passively touching a lock of it.

"Ahem.." Naruto coughed into his gloved hand to get their attention back to the subject at hand. "Walk with me to the armory, we need to gather supplies for the trip."

They began making their way through the house to where Naruto kept his assortment of tools for use in his missions. In this case he was willing to share what he had in order to increase their effectiveness. Not just that, he had grown to trust those around him and felt they deserved a better weapon than what mere shinobi used.

"I should give you some background on the place where we are going." He mentioned as they walked on the cold wood floor. "The Namikaze know little about the Hoshi clan and the village they are based in, unfortunately. I have found a few interesting tidbits though, and a map."

"I would hope so, otherwise we wouldn't know how to get there." Dosu said with his usual exasperated drawl.

Naruto ignored the quip and continued as the girls gave their bandaged compatriot a dirty look.

"Apparently the Land of Bears is located within the boundaries of the Land of Fire, stuck as some form of protectorate. Due to the political minefield that comes with a hidden village, most have chosen to ignore the existence of Hoshigakure. Considering they exist on isolationist policies, this uneasy peace has been maintained for the past hundred years or so."

There were many smaller nations that did not officially exist on maps. They were insignificant enough that they generally didn't have any kind of official boundary, as they had no military to back it up. The Land of Bears, even with Hoshigakure, was no exception to this general rule.

"I think Orochimaru talked about that village.." Kin muttered, trying to recall the conversation. "He said there was some sort of meteorite that enhanced their shinobi. Apparently it was significant enough he wanted to have it for our training."

"A meteorite? Is something like that safe?" Sakura had to wonder how something from the sky could affect chakra and the dangers that might come from it.

"It is plausible their village leaders were able to develop some sort of training to harness it. The Hoshi clan of assassins are less of a clan, actually, but more of the survivors who passed the exercises. This Natsuhi is apparently the last one."

Naruto explained as he had read over the message sent to him a dozen times by then. He wished that the archives had more on the subject, but it seemed the Namikaze did not find them to be very significant. Maybe that was why the two groups had not talked to each other since the founding of Konoha.

"Trained in the arts of assassination through use of this chakra, eh? Sounds like a dangerous bunch." Dosu muttered, trying to wrap his head around the mission.

"Luckily they are on our side, for now at least." The blonde said in response.

They finally arrived at the armory and Naruto ushered them over to a set of scrolls he already had laid out on one of the many tables. With a flick of his wrist they all rolled open to reveal a set of seals that they recognized as being item storage.

"Stock up but stay light. We will be on the move for a while and might be gone for more than a few days."

Using his hand, chakra was sent into the scrolls and a puff of smoke enveloped the counter; once dissipated it revealed a selection of blades, wires, vials and other tools that would be useful during the mission. All four of them began to grab certain tools befitting of their preferred styles, but took a generous look at all there was to see.

Naruto had what he usually wore and placed knives on his vest, shoulders, and waist for quick access. On his back he wore one of his tanto short blades, the red Konoha hitai-ate sewn onto the front leather strap. As always his trusty hidden blade remained fixed on his left arm, its mechanisms revealed as Naruto tinkered with them.

On his left, Sakura grabbed some vials of potions and poisons. She was trying to take what she could fit on her vest with healing salves while her thigh bandolier held the poison. It was an improvised creation she came up with herself, and Naruto could find no fault in the practicality for a healer.

Since they were all trained as shinobi in some form, they all still carried around their waist pouches and, save for Naruto, thigh holsters for kunai. There, Dosu hid a small dagger that would be more durable than the average ninja weapon. Kin quickly put together a set of knives with her bells attached, to go along with her technique.

Together each carried a rucksack of some sort in order to carry their heavier supplies like food provisions and survival gear, but it wasn't extensive. By no means did Naruto mean to stay any longer than he had to in the wild, but a person had to be careful when they set out far from home.

"Alright, that should take care of everything." Naruto said as he hefted his pack.

Dosu grunted an acknowledgment, checking his melody arm for any problems. Sakura and Kin remained in the back as the group of four headed out of the main house and into the mossy, destitute compound. From there they quickly left through the front gate and started at a brisk pace for Kuma no Kuni, following simple coordinates that the map offered.

Luckily, Dosu and Kin both had an excellent sense of their surroundings and were able to help Naruto in traversing the terrain. They passed through many forests, rivers, and valleys and saw many breathtaking sights, but they could never stay in one place for too long.

Konoha had no official way of keeping track of Naruto, but for the young assassin to be away from the village would cause an uproar if they found out about his leave. Regardless of the Namikaze's preset rules, as far as the council was concerned they were void as long as he was as young and impressionable as he was. No one of the old guard could take him seriously as a Namikaze, let alone a shinobi.

That was why Naruto had to complete this mission, to prove them wrong.

000

_A few days later..._

_Kuma no Kuni_

_Hoshigakure_

000

Inside a specially built dojo sat a dozen young shinobi, all gathered around a clawed pedestal. Upon that platform was a pockmarked piece of dark rock that seemed to exude a dark energy. A violet glow surrounded the meteorite—chakra so powerful one could see it. The children each used a unique hand seal in order to collect the chakra into their bodies, which in turn caused them to glow.

Each one of them wore an intense look of concentration, some even cringed in pain. The irradiated chakra was dangerous on untrained bodies and the genins' lack of chakra control often saw them take too much of it at a time, damaging their internal organs. It was a pain they were willing to go through though if it meant the village would prosper.

Around them were a few adult shinobi to oversee the process and ensure those who fell ill were taken away. One of these was a man that called himself a Kage, though no one outside his village would acknowledge him as such. It was his ambition to bring the village and the name Hoshikage to the world stage, and no one would stand in his way—not even his own people.

Akahoshi was flanked by two of his closest followers, the tall and fiendish Shisō and the short stout Yotaka. Together they were the ones whom were able to get the star training to begin again, thanks in no small part to the Sandaime Hoshikage's passing. The villagers were still in mourning, but they had little time to rest if they wanted to reach the status of a great village.

"Sir, everything appears to be going well. Most of the children are responding well to the chakra of the star." One of the medical-nin said, looking at his clipboard.

"Very well done, these children are the future of the village after all. Keep a close eye on them." Akahoshi grinned as he felt the star's chakra intensify.

_'This is our future..how we could give it up after just a few threats, pitiful.'_ He crossed his arms, grimacing at the thought. _'Regardless of what Natsuhi and her band believed, Hoshigakure needs this.'_

One of the children collapsed from too much chakra, his body crumpled in pain. The medical shinobi quickly took him away into the other room to rest and the training continued, but some of the children noticed. They were aware of some of the danger, but the closeness of their group is what kept them going. Leading their group was none other than Sumaru, a raven haired boy who dreamed to be the Hoshikage one day.

Ironically, Natsuhi's child Sumaru was the only reason Akahoshi's plan would continue to succeed. It was thanks to the boy that the rest continued with the training; he gave them hope and shared his dreams for Hoshigakure to succeed. He would not be useless like Natsuhi, he would not shy away from danger.

Akahoshi couldn't ask for a better tool.

"Sir, perhaps we should head back to the Hoshikage's homestead. It isn't safe to stay out for long with the village in this condition." Yotaka whispered as he shifted nervously.

Since the rogue Hoshi assassins had begun targeting Akahoshi and his followers, the village had been under lockdown. All available shinobi were being used to guard the star and the main hall of the village. It was shameful, but Natsuhi was not to be underestimated.

Still, there were too few of them to be a major threat. Some of them had sided with Akahoshi in the split while the remaining few left with Hotarubi and his wife. It was impossible to confirm their numbers with the suddenness of the attacks, but he was sure that if they had not succeeded by now, it was because the balance of power had shifted.

"Very well then, but I expect to have a report on today's training by tonight." The man twisted around, his long robes brushing the ground.

He opened the door and proceeded out into the large crater that the meteorite had created when it first landed. It was there they had left it, as a custom and to provide the training area a natural defense. From there it was a short walk through the nearby forest to the village outskirts.

All around were lifeless husks of trees and bush, long since dead. It only served to increase the anxiety of Akahoshi's subordinates, much to his ire. It was a trip they made everyday, how could one person be enough to frighten them to this level.

Of course he knew why. Natsuhi was famed as the strongest master of the Kujaku Myōhō, the technique that allowed them to harness the star's chakra, since the Shodai. She had proven her abilities against both the enemies of Hoshigakure and its own citizens. Anyone who stood in her way of trying to assassinate the Hoshikage had suffered a terrible yet swift death by her hands.

It was only a matter of time before she once again launched another attack. Overwhelming force had always been enough to make her retreat in the past, but how long could he keep throwing others into the fire? Though he could never admit to it, Akahoshi's power was nowhere near hers.

_'I may have to call upon an outside source for help. Perhaps mercenaries or other shinobi? It would be dishonorable but..to keep my power I may have no choice.'_ His grimace only served to deepen.

Just then, a whistle resounded through the forest. The three men scrambled to find its source, eyes darting to every shadow. Was it just the wind? Had Natsuhi finally chosen to make her move?

A bird flew through the air, beak open as it made its call. They sighed in relief and found it embarrassing to be frightened of a bird.

A few more steps and they noticed the bird and realized it was an eagle. Such a rare creature, to be flying in such a desolate place. Odd, it seemed to be getting closer and closer. They began to panic as the eagle seemed to be swooping down upon them, like prey.

"What the-"

"It's coming straight for us!" Shisō and Yotaka expressed the obvious, their nerves getting the better of them.

_'Something is wrong here..'_ Akahoshi narrowed his eyes and disrupted his chakra flow, hands in the ram hand sign.

His eyes widened when he realized that it was no eagle flying toward them, but Natsuhi herself! She was using the special chakra in order to form wings around her body, like a butterfly. Around her right arm she had formed a thin blade of chakra, set to plunge straight into Akahoshi's heart.

"Natsuhi!" He shouted, forming the proper hand sign to harness his chakra.

"You are too slow this time!" Natsuhi shouted, only a small distance away now.

Before she could plunge the chakra dagger straight into her most elusive adversary, smoke bombs permeated the field as the village's reinforcements arrived. Masked shinobi that formed the village's ANBU platoon surrounded her in the trees, kunai with explosive tags at the ready. Natsuhi hadn't expected them to mobilize so quickly, she hadn't even sensed them approach.

Had she gotten that careless in her quest to eliminate the Hoshikage?

The smoke dissipated and Akahoshi had retreated a bit farther down the path, purple chakra pouring out from him and his partners. A great beast was created from their combined technique, ready to strike down upon her. His maniacal stare told her that the old assassin she once called a partner had gone insane since they last met.

"It's over, Natsuhi! Surrender and I may spare your life long enough for you to see Sumaru!"

Natsuhi bit her lip as she tried to think of a plan. She stood alone on that road, no allies in sight. Perhaps it was careless of her to strike when the Namikaze had not yet arrived, but when she saw the opportunity, she knew she had to try. For her group's honor, there was still a part of her that wanted to be the one to kill Akahoshi and atone for the sins that the meteorite had forced on Hoshigakure.

It seemed that might only be a dream now.

"Even if I must give my life.." She again formed the unique hand sign and gathered chakra. "I will kill you, Akahoshi!"

_'Damn insolent woman..'_ The Hoshikage would not allow her to gather strength if that was what her plan was.

He sent the great chakra beast forward to consume the woman, his ANBU launching their attack at the same time. With that kind of strength and speed, there was no way even Natsuhi could dodge. If she tried to block the kunai she would be hit with the chakra and if she hit the beast head on, the kunai would mangle her.

Finally, Akahoshi thought, he could get rid of the thorn in his side.

Natsuhi soon revealed that her chakra buildup was a feint and dropped to her knee, hands in the air. From the palms of her hand, four chakra strings appeared and grabbed the kunai in mid-flight, allowing her to take control. Her hands gripped the unbreakable chakra and swung the weapons back at Akahoshi with all her might, passing harmlessly through his chakra attack.

"What the-" The man wasn't even able to finish his sentence as the tags exploded and a bright flash enveloped him and his comrades.

The explosion rocked the battlefield just as Akahoshi's chakra burst around the woman, sending her flying back deep into the forest. Since they were the only ones capable of moving after the attack, the four masked shinobi quickly went to assess the situation. Natsuhi could come second when the Hoshikage's life was in immediate danger.

000

Natsuhi crawled through the forest, her clothing ripped and her hair disheveled. The maroon locks fell over her eyes as Natsuhi tried to find safety somewhere; surely they would eventually come looking for her and no matter what, she could not be captured. After the sacrifices her husband and fellows went through to see her survive, she could not dishonor them with death until her duty was over.

There, a hollowed log in the middle of a mossy clearing. Perhaps it would give her some shelter from the approaching rain. The acidic liquid was dangerous in the Land of Bears, a side effect from the valley of toxic gas and the irradiated chakra that leaked from the meteorite. Though it was not enough to kill a person, in concentrated amounts it could cause sickness.

The attack had left her body too weak to retreat to her hideout in time. That would give the ANBU time to catch up anyway, she needed to get out of sight.

Her scratched arms brought her halfway into the trunk when the first rain drop hit her leg. That seemed to set off a chain of reactions in her body as the chakra within her reacted poorly. Pain gripped her chest and knocked the air right out of her, she struggled to breathe as her body contracted.

No matter what exercises she tried or the medicines she took, Natsuhi could not shake the poison that was inside her system. It made her very accepting of her inevitable death to the meteor's chakra, but it did not dull the pain any.

_'Must..keep going..for Sumaru..'_ The thought of her son gave her enough strength to pull her body all the way inside, hidden from view.

It was cramped as she expected for an adult such as herself. When she was young it seemed like crawling through a fallen trunk was like entering a whole different world; now it just appeared to be a dirty, dark, bug-infested refuge that was her only shield from the rain.

That was where she laid for quite some time, on her stomach and unable to lift another finger. The rain did not seem to let up and soon she was getting soaked in the remnants of her clothing, but she did not have the strength to move.

Finally, the pain died down to what she had gotten used to over the years and Natsuhi was able to move onto her back.

She removed her waist pouch and rummaged through it for the remaining medicine she had. While it was not able to treat the problem, Natsuhi had developed something to numb the pain and keep her body going under stress. Ah, there it was—a small, round pill with an earthy color.

Without a thought she popped it into her mouth and began to remove her flak jacket which had been ripped up in the last fight. It could no longer serve as a symbol of what she fought for—another bad omen. That left her with only her shorts and a black sports bra, not exactly very modest of a shinobi.

_'No choice I suppose..'_ Without thinking she reached up to her forehead to see if the hitai-ate was still there, and it was.

Good, it served as her one link to the village, where her true loyalty lied. Whether it was obvious to the men who protected or followed Akahoshi, she was fighting for them. They could not know the truth with how the imposter twisted words, but she knew his assassination plot of the Sandaime. Natsuhi also knew of his plans to restart the star training when the assassins split into two sides, one opposed and one for the idea.

How he was willing to force such extreme torture on those children..he had fallen far indeed.

That was why regardless of what condition she was in, Natsuhi could not afford to stop fighting. To do so would be to give up on Hoshigakure, to give up on Sumaru.

_'Hotarubi, give me strength.'_

Natsuhi would wait until nightfall, then she would try again. Today would be the day she would either triumph or fail. If the Namikaze did not arrive in time, then she would have to rely on them to at least finish the job should she die.

No matter what, the Creed had to be fulfilled.

000

"This rain is getting on my nerves.." Kin grumbled from underneath her cloak.

"You said it. I hope Naruto finds the village fast.." Sakura responded in an equally annoyed tone.

The four of them were around a tree consulting Naruto's map as the storm raged on. It was getting dark, too dark for them to maneuver carefully. Generally Naruto would consider it a smart idea to make camp with such conditions, but both him and Dosu were convinced they were close to their destination.

Sakura and Kin could care less at that point, the rain was putting a damper on their moods. While the boys spoke in hushed tones to one another, the two girls had no problems voicing their opinions. The first day had been a great adventure for everyone, but quickly they realized that trying to find a village was harder than they thought.

Luckily Dosu and to a lesser extent Kin were excellent at tracking, so they were able to support Naruto in finding the way. Orochimaru may have given each of them a specialty in combat, but he also expected his subordinates to know enough skills to operate independently should it be required. That training was showing to be quite useful under the assassin's leadership.

To find anything in that rainstorm, it would take some kind of skill at least.

"Alright, I think that should do it." Naruto rolled the map up and placed it inside his robe for safe keeping.

He turned around to see the girls huddled together looking quite annoyed. It seemed they were finally getting serious, which was good. At that critical point they couldn't afford to get relaxed.

"We should get moving soon, otherwise we'll lose what visibility we already have." Dosu warned, his arms crossed in an attempt to keep warm.

That fur cape of his was coming in handy though, and the girls had already expressed their jealousy. The bandaged boy ignored it, as expected.

"Let's get going." Naruto announced, getting the girls' attention. "The village is close by, but there is an obstacle we have to cross before we reach it. Some sort of ravine."

Thinking nothing of it the group fell in step behind the white robed jinchuuriki and kept up a brisk pace through the forest. The ground was slick and puddles of water were everywhere, so they had to be careful how they moved. Even if the Hoshi shinobi were out on patrol, there was no way to be able to see Naruto's group with sight alone, so they didn't bother to conceal their movements.

It wasn't long there after that they arrived at the edge of the ravine, a giant scar in the earth that ran as far as the eye could see. They looked down below to see some sort of gas, no doubt toxic judging by its look. Now they just had to figure out a way to cross it.

"Okay so..what do we do now?" Kin looked at Naruto, as did the rest of them.

The assassin stood there for a moment, thinking. He removed his right glove and rolled up his left sleeve, which revealed a tattoo of some sort on his forearm. It looked like some sort of dark claw mark, but what kind of purpose it had they couldn't tell.

"There isn't any good way to cross in this storm.." Naruto brought up his right hand and bit the thumb. "But the wind is dying down, so I think I have someone that can help."

_'A summoning technique?'_ Dosu was quick to catch on, having observed Orochimaru perform similar jutsu.

Naruto spread the blood along the mark on his arm and pressed his left hand against the ground. A seal spread across the ground and was soon enveloped by a large puff of smoke. All of them felt themselves getting jostled and instinctively fell to their knees; when they touched the ground to steady themselves, they realized that it wasn't dirt but feathers they were standing on.

"What is this?" Sakura said out loud as she couldn't make out the shape.

"_I am **me**, little girl."_ A deep voice rang out, frightening her.

"Kogane-sama." Naruto stood atop the bird's neck as it flapped its wings in slow, steady motions to keep them off the ground.

"_Naruto?"_ The eagle arched its neck, looking at the boy with its golden eye.

If a beak could smile, then Kogane was most surely beaming.

"_Ah, the little chick has finally become an eaglet."_ What did he mean by that, Sakura wondered.

Did it have something to do with Naruto growing up?

Naruto had said his clan was very fond of birds, but an eagle? The dark brown feathers were so soft it almost gave her a moment of pause; how could such a nice animal be a bird of prey?

"Kogane-sama, I need your help crossing this ravine." The bird looked down at the gap and almost seemed disappointed that it was not summoned to fight.

"_Very well." _With a great gust of wind the golden eagle flew easily across the ravine and continued well past it as Naruto gave directions.

The other three focused chakra on their feet to stay still, but the bird was quite large. They had little trouble finding room to sit and watch as Naruto effortlessly guided his summon. He looked quite calm considering how high up they were. It was jarring for the rest of them to be up so high, so they assumed Naruto had been flying before.

Kogane was a powerful summon and its speed was unrivaled; it was not long before they hovered above the village. The only illumination in the storm were some sort of light posts, able to continue working even through the rain and wind. Wherever Natsuhi and her target was, they had to be somewhere nearby.

"This should be close enough, please land on one of the roofs." Naruto requested, keeping a respectful tone with the eagle.

They must have had a strong relationship to consider each other equals as they did. His companions were even jealous somewhat of that kind of relationship with a non-human.

_'Naruto never ceases to be interesting..'_ Dosu thought as the bird began to glide down toward the village.

Once the powerful claws latched onto the wooden canopy, the humans scrambled off of their ride. Kogane looked down upon them, its neck curving in interest. His eyes went from Sakura, then back to Naruto. Again, its beak seemed to twitch upward in something akin to a smirk.

"_So, you have taken an eagless then?" _At first no one understood what it meant and they were unable to respond.

Naruto had the decency to blush but hid it well under his hood. Luckily the eagle knew better than to tease and nodded its head.

"_I will take my leave then, do not hesitate to call upon me again. Preferably for a battle."_ It disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving many questions unanswered.

"Let's move." Naruto ran across the rooftop and leaped to the next; he used chakra to let him stay steady on the wet rooftop.

They quickly followed as he lead them toward the center of the village. No one seemed to be out that night, for good reason. It made it quite easy for them to explore the relatively small town undetected and gather information.

When they first encountered village shinobi, that was when Naruto knew they were in the right place. A few masked shinobi that looked similar to Konoha's ANBU were hidden around a large building, presumably the town hall. If they had reason to be out and alert in that kind of storm, there could only be a few explanations.

Clearly someone or some thing was important.

Naruto stood on the edge of a nearby building's overhang, just across the street. He was trying to think of a proper way to infiltrate without having to make any unnecessary conflict with the village. Since they were outsiders and had no intelligence on who their target was, differentiating innocents from enemies would be difficult.

No matter what they had to find Natsuhi for her to lead them to the target. To do that, they would only have to remain alert while they watched the building. If her target really was inside, she would come eventually; tonight was a perfect chance to strike, especially for a trained assassin.

"Sakura, Dosu." Naruto turned to the two whom were waiting behind him with Kin. "You two go and try and obtain the meteorite the village holds dear. It could be a valuable bargaining chip for us and it might even rob their shinobi of their powers."

Dosu nodded and patted his chest where he had stored a scroll Naruto had already given him. Before they set out, the Namikaze had taught him a sealing technique for objects imbued with chakra. It was somewhat more difficult than a normal sealing technique, especially with unstable chakra like the meteor's, because it could interfere with the chakra used to seal it away.

Naruto had really thought of everything and the bandaged boy had to compliment him for it.

Sakura seemed concerned, but trusted Naruto's judgment. If anyone knew their limits, it was him. Since he trusted Dosu and Kin, so would she, though it still made her nervous to leave him alone. She sent a sharp glare toward the raven haired girl before following Dosu off into the dark.

Kin almost felt sympathy for the girl if she was trying to muscle her out of being with Naruto. She had no interest in the Namikaze, other than the fact she had sworn fealty to his cause and that he was willing to train her. Dosu, on the other hand, was fair game as far as she was concerned.

It was obvious how dedicated Sakura was to Naruto, so she didn't bat an eyelash when they left together.

"Kin, you and I will wait here and watch for the Hoshi assassin. Use your bells to set up a perimeter, just like I taught you." With his order, she took out a sizable amount of senbon with bells attached to their ends.

They were thrown around the area, each with a thin wire that interlocked the bells to form a sort of sound alarm. In the stormy weather, it was impossible for most to hear its silent jingle, but Kin was used to it. With her focused hearing, she would be able to tell Naruto the moment someone passed through her net of sound.

With that, they waited.

Fortunately, the night was still young.

000

_Hi no Kuni_

_Tanzaku Quarters_

000

Another night of partying in the town of Tanzaku. Lights and fireworks lit up the night sky as what seemed like a year round festival brought young and old out to clutter the streets. The night air was alive with jovial words of colleagues having a drink over dinner or old friends catching up.

Two friends in particular found themselves in a small stand, a ways off from the main festivities. They shared a drink, a toast to old times. There was no warm atmosphere between the two though, just bitter memories and broken promises.

Tsunade and Jiraiya barely even looked at one another as they spoke, the tension obvious. He had found her yesterday and told her about the Hokage job, but she expressed no interest. It was as he expected of course, there was no easy way to please Tsunade and he would have to really work her over to get her anywhere near Konoha.

Orochimaru's presence was what concerned him the most, and whatever he might have told the vulnerable woman. If he was up to his old tricks, Jiraiya hoped that Tsunade could see through it. If not, his grimace deepened, he would have to stop her.

"Tsunade.." Their eyes met, but Tsunade went back to her drink. It was better company than the old pervert.

"Tsunade." He said with more force, though it did no good; Jiraiya sighed. "The village needs you Tsunade, and _I _need you. There is this-"

She glared at him, preventing him from finishing his thought.

"Shut it Jiraiya, we both know that will never happen." Ah Tsunade, her harsh words had not changed a bit.

Jiraiya smiled in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You didn't let me finish..hmph, he's just like you." Jiraiya turned his attention forward, pouring himself another drink.

The mention of someone else got Tsunade's attention, her eyes shifting toward the sage.

"He is stubborn, just like his father..and mother for that matter. I came on a bit strong though, guess it is my fault after all. Same as what I do to you, I suppose." The sannin laughed, realizing the fool he was for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Who are you talking about?" She was curious, despite her earlier conduct.

"Heh, Naruto Namikaze. Who else would I be interested in, in Konoha?" Minato and Kushina's son?

Tsunade had heard he was the one chosen to be the Nine Tail's jinchuuriki the night of the attack, but she had no idea what happened to him. If Jiraiya was interested, that must have meant trouble for the kid.

"No doubt you rubbed him the wrong way. If he's anything like the rest of the Namikaze, he's about as dry as salt." Tsunade said after another drink, remembering when she was a part of the village still.

She could count the amount of times she had seen one, let alone speak to them. They were a reclusive bunch, that was for sure. Always had something to do that would force them to leave, a bunch of loners. From what she heard about Minato's display during the Third War, they were strong too.

But what did Naruto have to do with any of that?

"Yeah, I did. Now he doesn't even want to look at me after what I said about Minato. I was just frustrated after seeing those robes again; after what happened to Minato, I was just so disappointed. In myself as a teacher, but just as much the Namikaze for the pressure they put on his family." Jiraiya scowled, recalling all the times he had seen the Namikaze spit on the very ground Kushina walked on.

She was a good woman and she didn't deserve that. The stress of having to protect his wife from his own clan must have been one of the reasons the relationship between master and student soured. Minato had a dream to be the Hokage and bring honor back to the Namikaze, and it looked like it would work, for a while at least. Then the Kyuubi happened and the Namikaze held nothing back, slandering Minato and Kushina even in death.

Assassin or no, insulting the Hokage only further alienated the clan of assassins. It may very well have led to their subsequent "disappearance" after all.

That wasn't the real reason Jiraiya cared about Naruto's allegiance, hell he was proud of how far the boy had gone without anyone to watch over him. Why he acted the way he did was something that went beyond simple feelings that he could explain.

"Looks like you have something sour on your mind. Care to share? You said you wanted my help with something, so let's hear it." Tsunade decided to humor him, suddenly in high spirits.

Most likely the alcohol, but Jiraiya would take the bait.

"Well..I didn't get a chance to explain myself to Naruto back in the village. I didn't get to tell him why I had to be the one to train him, not his father." Jiraiya seemed conflicted about the whole thing.

"Hm?" She seemed to be listening, so he pressed on with a sigh.

"Back when I was still in the process of becoming a sage for the toads, the elder toad gave me a prediction. Something to tell me what would happen in the future, and I took it seriously. I still do, and that is why I overreacted when I saw Naruto, like I lost my chance to fulfill the prophecy again."

"Again?" Tsunade seemed confused.

Jiraiya thought back to that time he stood before the sage on his throne, summoned for whatever reason. He was impatient and wanted the old geezer to hurry up, but he had the sense to listen. It was a good thing too, because the prediction had great consequences if it wasn't fulfilled. With a slow croak, he told Jiraiya what the future of the world was to be.

_During your life, you will observe the world of tomorrow be shaped._

_You will meet many robed figures in your travels._

_Each one, you shall have a profound effect on._

_All of these men are destined to change the world, but only one can save it._

_By accepting the Sage's teaching, he shall break the chain of fate._

"You know why I was so insistent on training Minato when he graduated the academy?" Tsunade gave him an odd look.

"I always assumed it was because he was a natural genius; everyone talked about him." Jiraiya laughed in amusement, that made him sound like the _other _Sannin.

"Nah, none of that mattered to me. The sage told me I could save the world by teaching a robed figure, like Minato. If he accepted my teachings, that was." As if things would turn out as he hoped.

Tsunade thought it over for a little bit and started to catch on. So when Minato died, he unknowingly dumped the prophecy and Jiraiya's attention his son. She felt bad for the kid after all.

"So, you think Naruto is the one to save the world?" The toad sage shrugged and took another swig of his drink.

"I don't know, honestly. My gut is telling me something different though, something that Minato didn't have. Not sure what though."

His drinking partner just shook her head.

"You rely too much on superstition, Jiraiya." Jiraiya cracked a smile and finally bellowed a real laugh of his, that was just what he needed to cheer up.

"Yeah, maybe." He turned to her, the mirth slowly leaving his smile. "Tsunade, that is why I need you to come back to the village with me. Not just to help me talk sense into Naruto, but because it was what the Third wanted."

Hearing about her teacher made Tsunade perk up some.

"What do you mean?" Her eyes narrowed.

"His last wish was for you to become the Godaime Hokage. Even as he was dying he was thinking of the village, and of you. Sarutobi thought that by giving you that responsibility, it would occupy you from thinking about your loved ones. He also knew the village would need someone like you after the war, and he was right."

She sighed, even in death her sensei served to make her life worse. How could he put that kind of pressure on her? Who did he think she was?

Jiraiya bit his lip, hoping she would buy the lie. It would take all the smooth talking and perfectly laced guile in order to get Tsunade back to the village without a fight. He was willing to take the challenge though, and he figured the Sandaime meant something similar.

"You really don't take a hint, Jiraiya.." She watched him pour another drink and take a swig.

In that moment of inattention she slipped a powdered drug into his pouring glass; before he could see she hid the paper evidence and held the glass up to pour him another, shaking it a bit to stir the drug.

With a smile he accepted, such a simpleton.

A shuriken came flying toward them from outside, cutting straight through the stand's doorway and breaking the cup in two. The two sannin had sensed the attack and stopped what they were doing; they watched the attack purposely hit the glass and realized it wasn't meant for them.

"Apologies, Tsunade-sama.." A female voice rang out, her voice stern in the face of two annoyed sannin. "..but we cannot allow you to jeopardize our mission."

They turned and saw someone lift the cloth that covered the doorway, now with a small hole in it. It was an ANBU from Konoha, her purple hair reaching far down her back. The neutral face of a cat that served as her mask seemed to fit her attitude as she stared the slug sannin down without any remorse.

"I thought I told you guys to stay out of this?" Jiraiya said in a warning tone, but Yugao was not intimidated.

"She was going to poison you, Jiraiya-sama. We.." On cue, another ANBU appeared at the doorway; the other two remained in the shadows as backup. "..cannot allow even the Sannin to do as they please if the village's livelihood is at stake."

"Tch." Tsunade bit her lip in annoyance, insolent brat.

Jiraiya looked back at his old team-mate, surprised and angry. She was willing to go that far?

"Tsunade.." His serious voice returned, expressing his disdain.

The woman merely turned back in her seat and poured herself another glass. It was sure to be a long night and she needed another drink.

000

_Hoshigakure_

000

Naruto and Kin continued to wait in the rain for what felt like hours. While Naruto was used to such things and had patience, Kin was getting more and more stir crazy from not moving. She wanted to be doing something, but was forbidden from moving a muscle. Before she could shout in annoyance, Kin heard something.

Just then, there was a sound. It came from behind them.

Sakura and Dosu returned and stood with Kin behind Naruto. They had completed their objective it seemed, and without any trouble.

"Mission complete, we have it." Dosu said with pride, patting the scroll in his pouch.

"Nice work." Naruto complimented, not taking his eyes off the house.

"Anything new happen?" Dosu asked Kin, but she just shook her head.

Sakura was actually somewhat relieved she made it back in time. If Naruto had gotten wounded when she wasn't around to help, the thought was too much.

Another sound only Kin could hear, it whistled through the trees.

"Naruto-"

"I know. There she is." He pointed down at the yard as a dark figure crept through the surrounding forest and approached the main building.

The ANBU guarding there didn't even see her as she approached. He went down without a sound, incapacitated. Natsuhi opened a window and slithered inside, leaving almost no evidence she had even been there.

"We should get moving. Stay close." Naruto leaped down with the rest of them close behind.

They stuck to the shadows as they approached from the same direction, passing the fallen body and entering through the window. Inside there were many torches that were supposed to illuminate the wooden halls, but the building was quiet and dark. As Natsuhi passed, she must have been extinguishing each one as the once warm interior was almost completely black.

"I have her scent and I can see her footprints. We should move quickly if we want to catch up." They did their best to remain quiet as they moved through the building.

Not a single guard, it was almost eerie.

Every door they passed seemed to mock them with little progress. It felt like a maze as they found more and more empty spaces. Natsuhi didn't seem to have this problem from what Naruto could tell; she knew exactly where she was going.

000

While they fumbled in the dark, she was approaching her target. Natsuhi heard the familiar beeps of medical equipment and knew she was close. In the dark hallway she occupied, a single door was surrounded by a faint outline of light, begging her to come close. A few voices were coming from inside so she pressed herself against the door, trying to listen.

"_He's been severely wounded in the attack. We need to keep him for longer than we expected."_

"_The assassin could show up at any time, we need to move him right away!" _She recognized that voice as one of Akahoshi's followers, Shisō.

"_If you try that, he will die anyway. Shouldn't you be out trying to find them first?"_

"_Don't tell us how to do our job! You guys weren't there when she attacked earlier today.." _Yotaka, he sounded scared.

Good.

"_Bickering with us isn't going to have him heal any faster, please go and stay on guard. You are keeping us from doing work."_

"_Fine, but you guys had better get done fast! No telling when she'll show up."_ Footsteps echoed, they were coming.

They were so distracted they couldn't sense her chakra build up, a violet cloak began to wrap around her arm again. She waited in the shadows near the door, every sound was her guide. It felt agonizing to wait for the knob to turn, her senses made the world slow and dull.

Shisō set one foot outside the doorway, unaware of the danger. He was surprised to see the hallway was so dark, he thought for sure the torches were all lit. What the hell was going on? It all happened so fast he couldn't feel the chakra blade plunge deep into his chest, blood spraying Yotaka who was behind him.

Natsuhi extended the blade even further while her arm was still inside the first one, sending it plunging into the second. Neither had a chance to even see her before they toppled to the ground, dead. The medical shinobi scattered and fled to the opposite corner of the room away from Natsuhi and Akahoshi.

She walked over to his bedside and saw just how wounded he was. Bandages covered his body from head to toe, she really could barely make out his features, but it was Akahoshi. There was no mistake, she could sense the same chakra inside of him as she had. Only a Hoshi assassin could have a chakra signature like that.

"Akahoshi.." The man was unconscious, barely alive from the attack she levied against him.

"For breaking the tenants of our Creed and betraying our village, I will now carry out your sentenced punishment." Natsuhi raised her blade of chakra, aimed at his throat.

"You're insane!" The doctor shouted, despite being scared out of his mind.

He was ignored as she brought her blade down and made a clean insertion through the Hoshikage's neck, killing him instantly. The monitors displayed a flat line on his heart rate, indicating her job was done. Natsuhi sighed, it was finally over.

Instead of relief spreading through her, pain did instead. It sent her to her knees, unable to resist its strength. So, she had finally reached her limit. Fitting it be at the end when she had finally kept her promise to Hotarubi and the others.

"Hoshikage-sama!" She turned her head to see ANBU scrambling into the room from a nearby window.

Even if she could move, Natsuhi did not want to. It was for the best she die there rather than be a burden any longer. Her debt to the Creed may finally be fulfilled.

When they realized their village leader was dead, the three ANBU agents readied their shuriken. The assassin had no cover and seemed like she was unable to move. Now was their best chance to secure the safety of the village, but they would do so from the safety of distance.

"Attack!" One shouted and they all threw their weapons simultaneously.

The hail of projectiles headed straight for the woman's exposed back, dead on target. Death seemed inevitable, but she did not shy away. Her strength of will was admirable.

_'**Jinton: ****Mueishō!**'_

A blur of speed entered the room, faster than a flicker and silent as a mouse. Time seemed to slow as Natsuhi felt herself be picked up into someone's arms, her body flooded with warmth. Her eyes barely registered what was going on, but she distinctly remembered white and yellow mixed in a blur.

That was all she could see before her body fell limp.

Naruto used his enhanced speed to carry Natsuhi to Sakura and the others. He deactivated his technique, allowing time to return to "normal" speed. They were surprised to see Naruto standing in front of them again, this time holding a woman with maroon hair.

One second he was leading them through the building, the next he was gone.

"Sakura." She perked up as Naruto motioned for her to come forward. "This woman is very sick, I need you to take her and try to figure out what's wrong."

"O-okay, Naruto." Sakura fumbled a response as she struggled to position the woman onto her back.

"Who is this?" Dosu asked, looking her over.

Natsuhi had a pained expression on her face, even being unconscious she could not escape from her body's agony. It was obvious to them that she must have been the assassin, but why they were trying so hard to save her was what really confused them.

"There is no time for questions. You two," Naruto gestured for Dosu and Kin. "follow Sakura and protect her. Just stabilize her condition then get out of the village."

Naruto fished out a scroll from beneath his robes, handing it to Kin. He still had something to do inside the village, so he had to ensure they would be alright without him.

"Once you are safely away, open this scroll. I have ensured that it will summon Kogane-sama. Have him return you to the compound and care for Natsuhi there until I return."

"Wait, what are you going to do here?" Kin asked, confused.

"I must ensure the Creed is followed, there are traditions that must be upheld." He pointed to Natsuhi. "She is not in the condition to finish her duties, so I will. Now go, all of you!" Naruto was being serious so they did not want to argue.

"Good luck Naruto, stay safe!" Sakura said before running off into the darkness; Kin and Dosu followed close behind, still somewhat confused.

"_**Seems the girl is starting to believe in you. Hmph. About time.."**_ Kyuubi seemed to find something interesting about the recent developments, as he hadn't said much that entire night.

_'Good, it means this mission might have been a success after all.'_

Now it was his turn to do work. He had to ensure the target was given his last rites _and_ he had to make sure the village of Hoshigakure would not forget the assassins. If that star was so dangerous as his father suspected, Naruto would have to instill enough fear to make them forget about ever wanting it again.

Luckily, Natsuhi seemed to have killed most of those in support of its use, which gave Naruto a head start. Once he completed that task, his mission would finally be over. The Namikaze would be remembered after that night as the ones to stop the tyranny of Hoshigakure, not the rest of the Fire sect.

By the time Naruto's plans had come to fruition, the influence of the Namikaze would be greater than ever before. Finally, Minato's ghost could rest easy.

000

_A few days later..._

_Namikaze Compound_

000

"So, it really won't be so easy.."

"I'm sorry Naruto. There just isn't anything else I can do.."

Naruto and Sakura stood around a low table, surrounded by books and beakers of all kinds. They were in a secluded area of the house, where privacy would allow them freedom to speak. Taking Natsuhi back with them was a risky endeavor, but he could not just leave an innocent, a fellow assassin to die such a terrible death.

The woman was on the table, still unconscious. Sweat creased her brow as her face was almost constantly scrunched in pain.

Sakura really had tried everything to heal her, but without knowing the specifics, it was impossible to cure her. Every type of potion or remedy she could find in the Namikaze tomes she had tried, but none seemed to offer much help. The only thing they could do was try and numb the pain and keep her body from overheating.

With some haphazard research on the meteorite by Dosu and Naruto, they discovered that just as the Namikaze ancestors had suspected, the chakra was extremely deadly. Assassins, naturally superstitious, had shunned the Hoshi clan in fear that they would spread the harmful chakra to others. It led to the decline of their order and the village they served.

Now, Natsuhi was all that was left. Naruto could find no evidence of a Hoshi clan, only that the assassins had been disbanded over a year ago by the Sandaime Hoshikage.

It meant that she had lied to him, that he had no obligations to save her. That meant little to Naruto though, his honor would not let him give up so easily. Whether he liked it or not, Natsuhi was now in his care and he would do what he had to to ensure she survived.

The question was how..

"Not even medical shinobi have an easy procedure when dealing with such advanced chakra poisoning. I'm nowhere close to their level either..I just wish there was something I could do." Sakura looked down in shame.

Her hair tied in a ponytail to keep it from cluttering her vision. She had been at Natsuhi's side since before Naruto even returned, trying so hard to save her. Sakura wasn't even an assassin yet, but her pride in the duty Naruto gave her would not allow her to rest until she had tried everything.

He set a comforting hand on her shoulder, nodding.

"You've done everything you can, Sakura. I will not ask for more." Naruto removed his hood, blue eyes lost in thought. "Until we can figure out a way to save her, I see only one option."

Naruto went over to the door and grabbed a scroll he had left sit. It was his hope that he would not have to try such a risky endeavor, but he could see no other option to safeguard Natsuhi's life. The Namikaze were not particularly known for their sealing abilities, but Minato had given him a wealth of information based off of his mother's abilities.

If the technique he had been studying worked, he would have to thank his mother when it was time to meet.

"What are you going to do with.." Sakura's voice trailed off as she connected the dots; the scroll was larger than most, almost the size of a human.

He couldn't really be thinking of sealing her inside of it, could he?

Naruto saw the concern cross her face, he frowned.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but we have no other choice but to try. My father assured me that this technique worked once before, we can do it again."The large scroll was unrolled and the seals were revealed to be prepared already, they just had to lay Natsuhi down on them.

"Help me with her." Together they took Natsuhi by the arms and legs and gently set her down to the floor.

Sakura watched as Naruto knelt down near the center of the scroll and began going through hand signs; at the same time, the black ink began to light up with chakra. It seemed it was working as seal tattoos began to cover Natsuhi's body, wrapping around her like securing precious cargo.

The assassin pressed his hand on her revealed stomach, inserting the last necessary bit of chakra.

"Sealing technique.." A puff of smoke covered the ground, hiding the body. "Success."

Natsuhi was gone when the smoke finally dissipated, the kanji for 'sealed' appeared in a large circle. The scroll was carefully rolled back up before being secured to Naruto's back. It would go back with him to his private quarters where not even Kin and Dosu dared to enter.

Until they could find someone or something to help, at least Natsuhi's life would be safe.

For now.

000

_Hi no Kuni_

000

A group of shinobi were walking along one of the many roads that covered the Land of Fire, on their way home from a successful mission. Not all of them seemed pleased, however.

"Thanks for agreeing to come back, Tsunade-hime. You don't know how much this means to m-"

Before Jiraiya could even begin to kiss the soon-to-be Hokage's rear end, he was subsequently reprimanded.

"Shut it, Jiraiya. I'm only doing this for the Third.._and_ don't even think about forgetting our deal."

Tsunade pointed an accusing finger at the toad sage who held up his hands in defense. She was still regretting to accepting the offer, but in reality she had little other choice. There was no way she could help Orochimaru after what he had done to Konoha because, no matter how cold she acted toward it, the village was still her home. Not only that, but she would rather not have to explain why she left Jiraiya and his ANBU friends almost dead to the council.

If the Sandaime really needed her to sit in for a while, she could do it. Perhaps it would get rid of all the bad karma she had accrued from gambling..and stop her losing streak.

Tsunade wasn't one to do anything for free though, so she had Jiraiya prepare an agreement between her and the council. The deal was that she would temporarily take the seat of Godaime Hokage, but would be allowed to pass it on in the event that she was unable to continue her work or that she was able to find someone else capable and willing to take the job.

All she had to do was stick around in Konoha for a while and then find some sap to become her successor. It wouldn't be easy, but she always liked to have a way out of any deal.

Besides, after all the talk she had heard about the Namikaze, she wanted to meet Naruto. He sounded like he needed some help dealing with Jiraiya, and if she could find a way to use that to her advantage, maybe she would only have to be stuck in Konoha for a year or two. If he was anything like Minato, he must have wanted the seat of the Hokage for something; that meant it would serve as her greatest bargaining chip.

After all, one woman's burden was another man's blessing.

000

This chapter was originally stated to be much longer and not leave with this cliffhanger, though it had another one that could arguably be worse. However, I realized it was too long and decided to cut it since this chapter is already a perfect length.

Great set of new chapters in the manga and anime, inspiration for my future works and chapters.

One more chapter for this one after _The Rise of Darkness _and I think every story will be done with Part I.

Be sure to review and tell me what you thought.


	18. Give and Take

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 18

Give and Take

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

_Text/Writing_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

Well, I'm glad I got into the mood and wrote this. Any progress is good progress in my book, considering how busy it is with university work. I have to say, watching the Naruto movie that was recently released definitely inspired me to get to writing again, and I would recommend it. It was lacking in certain areas as far as engagement and plot consistency, and I was disappointed we didn't get to see more of the AU characters, but seeing Naruto interact with Minato and Kushina was worth it alone.

And a busty Shizune, come on.

Hope you enjoy the read.

000

_The Creed_

_Stay your blade from innocents_

_See but be unseen_

_Never compromise the Assassins_

_Nothing is true, everything is permitted._

000

_Land of Fire_

000

Naruto ran up a group of rocks and found himself on the top of a hill. It overlooked a vast area of grassland that spanned the entirety of mountain Jofuku. A glare emanated from the low plains as the colorful flowers reflected the sun's rays back into the sky.

He shielded his eyes and attempted to figure out the best route down from his vantage point. There was no reason to be careless now, even if his objective was so close.

_'When I said I wanted to help Natsuhi recover, this isn't exactly what I had in mind.'_

Naruto grunted and adjusted the pack that hung on his back, its weight shifting. When Sakura told him of a flower that could expedite the healing process, he had been quick to begin searching for it. What followed was a two day journey to the Land of Fire's border to find that elusive ingredient.

Because he was unfamiliar with the land, he had Sakura and the others remain behind. It was his wish to see Natsuhi healed, and so it was his duty to take the risk alone. Though they protested, he told them they would be more useful if they kept their eyes on the village and told him if anything interesting happened after he returned.

Before leaving, Anko had told him the village had received an important message from Jiraiya's group: Tsunade was on her way back to the village. Though he did not know Tsunade outside of what little his father had told him, he knew it would be important to meet and understand her if he wished to continue to operate freely.

If he could get her on his side, then he would be free to focus on much more important things than just the village's missions.

After a bit of a walk down, Naruto finally arrived in the meadow containing the flowers, and was taken aback by just how unique they looked. Each flower's petals reflected a wide variety of colors, and they reminded him of a rainbow. It was also shocking to find such a useful ingredient in medicine was so bountiful; they stretched as far as the eye could see.

"No time to dawdle.." Though he had a soft spot for grand vistas, he had a mission to complete.

He fell to one knee and carefully uprooted a flower. With a careful eye he looked over the roots and the petals themselves to ensure it was what he needed. A nod meant that it was as Sakura described, and so he put it within the rucksack for safekeeping.

"Perhaps I should take another, just in case."

As Naruto reached down for another, a shadow enveloped him. His eyes flicked up to the new presence, just fast enough to see the foot that slammed into his jaw. Sent flying, Naruto only allowed himself a moment of surprise before he recovered, rolling safely along the grassy field.

Naruto looked to see who the opponent was, but was shocked by what he saw. What was _she _doing here?

Gaara stood on the hill, her chilling aquamarine eyes staring him down. Her outfit had changed to that of something similar to his own; beige robes covered her body and a beaked hood protected her from the blinding sun.

As sand began to fall from her gourd, Naruto struggled to understand what she could have been doing there. It was then that he remembered something else Sakura had warned him about before leaving, and he wanted to kick himself for not remembering sooner.

"Damn flowers..." Naruto cursed, standing to full height. "So..you are an illusion of my mind? A strong illusion.." He brushed his hand over the bit of blood that escaped his lips.

Everything seemed to fall into slow motion as Naruto brought his hands together and went through a flurry of hand signs. He didn't know why Gaara's illusion appeared differently than what he remembered, but he knew she wasn't going to be easy to defeat. Hallucination seemed to be an effective defensive measure for the Jofuku flowers, and he was starting to understand why no one had cleaned them out before.

"**Kuchiyose!**" Naruto pulled up his sleeve and pressed the blood against his tattoo, calling forth an ally.

Kogane, the great eagle launched from the ensuing smoke and into the safety of the air. Naruto stood on the bird's neck as they circled Gaara like true birds of prey.

"_What is going on, Naruto?"_ The booming words echoed in Naruto's ears as he struggled to find the right words to explain.

"I'm fighting a hallucination and I thought you could assist." The bird looked over the battleground but seemed to be confused as its eyes gravitated back to the assassin.

"_I see nothing, Naruto. How can I hunt if I cannot see or hear?"_

It seemed that the pollens only affected those in the immediate vicinity. Kogane could not see Gaara as he did. That meant he would have to adapt a different strategy.

Unfortunately, his opponent wasn't going to afford him such time. During that conversation, Gaara had released the entirety of her sand to cover the battlefield below, preventing Naruto from landing anywhere near her. Her arm pointed up toward him and spikes of sand began launching toward him and his summon.

"Kogane, move!" He wasn't sure if the summon could be harmed, but he did not want to find out.

"_Hang on!"_ The eagle angled itself down and picked up a great amount of speed, easily dodging the heavy projectiles.

Naruto leaned over the side of the bird and watched as they flew directly over Gaara. His only chance was to close the distance and deal a decisive blow to the hallucination. With the sand all around her, he would only get one chance at the strike.

_'...Now!'_

In a dive, he leaped from his mount and dropped straight toward his unflinching opponent. With a flick of his finger, the hidden blade emerged from his wrist. A quick strike to her jugular was all that he needed to finish her off.

Unfazed, the illusion brought its hands above its head in an arc. Sand picked itself up from the surrounding area and covered Gaara in a dome.

_'This old trick?'_ Lightning chakra enveloped his blade arm.

Before impact, Naruto reared his arm back and then slammed it into the top of the dome. Sand shattered as the strength of the attack began to destroy the defense, but it was fixing itself much faster than he expected. When he tried to remove his blade, the sand held onto it and prevented him from moving.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto spotted sand spikes forming around him in the field. Under his feet planted on the dome, he felt the sand shifting in shape and knew she was about to strike. Gritting his teeth, he growled in annoyance and began to build up lightning chakra in his free hand.

"Just as persistent as last time..but now I don't have to hold back."

As if sensing his attack, the spikes began to close in on him. He had to admit the hallucination was stronger than before, but he was faster.

"**Chidori!**" Naruto slammed the ball of chakra into the sand dome and watched as it collapsed on itself.

Gaara's clone looked up at him, no emotion showing on her face. If he hadn't reminded himself it wasn't real, he might have flinched. All he could remember was Gaara's smile from the end of their last battle, and he knew that the illusion was nothing like the real one.

That was why he could strike down that enemy. It was because it wasn't anything like the Gaara he had seen at the end of the exams.

The chakra pierced his opponent straight through, his arm sticking out the other side of her chest. They remained frozen like that for a moment, neither able to move; the clone's power was sapped, and Naruto took a moment to relish in victory.

Then, as soon as the battle had started, it was over. The clone and its sand disappeared with the blink of an eye, and Naruto found himself alone in the clearing. Kogane had unsummoned himself when he realized Naruto had been victorious, so all that was left was for Naruto to retreat.

He looked back down at the field of flowers and this time thought better of trying to take another. One was enough to last him a lifetime.

000

_Some time later.._

_Konohagakure_

000

"What did you say?"

"Tsunade, the sannin is to be the next Hokage, and she is here. In the village."

Naruto held his chin in thought as he and Anko spoke in hushed tones. They were in a back alley, far from the curious eyes and ears of the village's shinobi and civilians. Recent events had forced Naruto to seek out his servant for information.

The assassin had only recently returned from his mission to obtain the important medicine needed to save Natsuhi's life, but Tsunade had already arrived by that time. She had taken it upon herself to inspect the village, and Anko had been trailing her since in an attempt to gather information.

"Do you have any idea what she's doing right now?" The way he asked, Anko figured he wanted to meet her.

"Yes. The last time I saw her, she was with her apprentice in the hospital. Considering her background, I'd wager a guess she's there to help the staff take care of patients."

That made sense, Naruto thought. After he heard about Tsunade, he consulted the Namikaze records that were quite detailed in her abilities and background. Granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage and a hero of the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade was well known for two things: her healing abilities, and a streak of bad luck.

"Not just any patients though. The elders wouldn't waste her time like that. Who has recently been admitted to the hospital?"

For a moment, Anko had to think of anyone important that had been laid up in the hospital. Her eyes widened in recognition, bringing Naruto's attention back to her.

"Kakashi..." She whispered, and Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Kakashi was admitted after an encounter with enemy shinobi."

That peaked Naruto's interest, but why hadn't he heard of it before? Had he really been that disconnected from the going ons of the village during his time in Bear country? If so, that was disconcerting.

"From the reports I read, they were supposedly looking for the nine tails jinchuuriki." Naruto's body tensed as she said those words; even Kyuubi let loose a low growl.

Confused, Anko looked at him for guidance.

"What does this mean, Naruto-sama?"

He didn't know, but that wouldn't last for long. They had been talking long enough, and there was little else he needed to hear from Anko. It was time he found some answers to the growing list of questions.

"Anko, return to your duties. I need to go and see this Tsunade for myself." He got up from the wall he had been leaning on.

Anko looked at him with a concerned eye. Bowing low, she watched him run up the wall and wished him farewell.

"Go safely, Naruto-sama."

000

Tsunade walked out of Kakashi's room barely able to suppress the smirk on her face. Even after a good while of being away from the village, she still had it. Not but after five minutes of healing did she get the man to wake up when the doctors there had been trying the same technique for days.

"That was great work, Tsunade-sama." Shizune, her raven haired apprentice beamed.

"Of course." She responded as if it was obvious.

The hallway was void of staff or patients, though it felt like it had been so busy before she had arrived. Were they hiding from her? It made her feel a bit unsettled.

A gust of wind made her turn to look down the hallway. The window there had been opened, and a young man was climbing inside. His robes were almost as white as the sun's rays, making it almost impossible to measure his height or body type.

"Who is that?" Shizune whispered to herself, holding Tonton a bit closer to her chest.

The pig squealed uncomfortably and looked at Tsunade for guidance. Confusion had left her shortly after she identified the boy as one of the Namikaze; now that he was in the hallway and walking toward her, she could identify that cloth easily. What was he doing there?

Maybe there was some truth to the rumor that the Namikaze had eyes and ears everywhere.

"Excuse me." Naruto called out as he approached the two women, sizing them beneath his hood. "...You must be Tsunade."

A twitch of her lip was all he could get as a reaction out of her, but there was no mistaking his intuition. The woman at her side was obviously a subordinate, the apprentice. There was also an aura of power that demanded respect from those around the blonde. Even through her elaborate genjutsu, he could see she had aged; there was something about the trained eyes that watched him with intrigue, and it told him she had experience.

Shizune narrowed her eyes, sizing up the new arrival as a possible threat. It had been too long since she had seen an assassin up close, so she could not recognize him as her master had. Nonetheless, it was clear he was at least trained in the shinobi arts by his stance, and that worried her.

"What if I am?" Tsunade responded with a challenging tone, her eyes locked on his.

Their eyes met as a silent contest of wills began. Who would back down first?

"I don't have time to indulge you." Naruto said after a short pause, his hood again covering his eyes. "Are you Tsunade, of the legendary sannin?"

It was clear from the way he said it, Naruto had no intentions of showing the same respect as her title afforded her.

For some reason, that made her like him more. He had guts.

"How dare yo-" A hand quieted Shizune before she could make a fool out of herself.

Tsunade knew just how to handle their new acquaintance. Two could play at the game of superiority, and it was something she was good at.

"I am. And you must be Naruto Namikaze, the son of the Yondaime." She pretended to size him up again, a smirk growing. "My, how you have grown into such a _handsome_ young man."

From her tone, it was obvious she was going to keep the same attitude Naruto had until they leveled with one another.

Naruto clenched his jaw to show some discomfort: She was good. Before he could go onto explain his own reason for being there, Tsunade decided to speak first.

"It's convenient you showed up here, since I was going to need to find you soon anyway. You see, I've inherited a lot of paperwork from the Sandaime and I found something interesting." Her smirk turned into an annoyed frown. "It's also tedious, for me and you."

Naruto said nothing, but crossed his arms and allowed their eyes to meet again. He had to make it clear he was willing to listen if they were going to get anywhere fast.

"As it turns out, your performance during the exams and the resulting battle impressed the right people." She too crossed her arms and let out a small sigh before continuing. "Long story short, you've been considered for promotion to chunin. Congratulations."

Tsunade clearly wasn't as inspired about the whole thing as the village was, but what she found most interesting was that the assassin wasn't much amused either. She expected him to at least shift his feet or possibly even smile.

Naruto seemed unamused about the whole thing.

"Thank you, but my concerns are more important than the village trying to appease me. Is there anything else?"

"Hmph." She sighed, he was becoming less fun to play with.

That quip about the elders though, now that was something she could appreciate. They must have thought promoting him was a full proof way to get him closer to their side—clearly not.

"There is one more thing." Her posture implied it was just as annoying if not more so than the promotion. "Jiraiya. He wants to speak with you, now."

Now that got more of a rise out of him. She watched with no small bit of amusement as Naruto's jaw clenched and unclenched a few times—no doubt trying to beat down his anger.

"I refuse to speak with him. He tried to tarnish my father and my clan's honor." Angrily, Naruto waved his arm in finality, in an attempt to cut off the conversation.

"A fair point, but now that you are a chunin, I have more leverage over you as the Hokage. If I wanted, I could order you to speak with him."

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"You aren't Hokage."

Tsunade smirked.

"_Yet_."

A standoff, but Tsunade broke it first. If she wanted to get Naruto on her side, she couldn't fight for dominance forever. She had to share, at least a little.

Give and take would be a necessary evil.

Naruto watched her uncross her arms and raised an eyebrow as her face softened. What was she thinking of now?

"I'm not completely naïve to what has been going on in the village, so I know what happened between you and Jiraiya. If it's any consolation, I sided with you. If anyone knows how forward and difficult Jiraiya is to deal with, it's me."

Tsunade rolled her eyes just thinking of all the times she had to deal with his stupidity.

"If you side with me, then you won't make me speak to him."

She frowned, this time in honest sincerity.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't do that. You both need to work out your problems instead of avoiding each other, so I will order you if I have to."

"Then I refuse the promotion. I wasn't keen on getting it anyway." Not complete truth, but he needed to regain leverage if he wanted the conversation to turn his way.

Tsunade bit her lip in annoyance; the kid was born to be a manipulator, a damn good one. The conversation wasn't turning out the way she wanted it to.

No matter if she wanted the job or not, Tsunade was the right choice for Hokage. She knew that the village needed Naruto and his contacts close in order to prosper, and that would require some ass kissing. Too stubborn to do it so directly though, she would have to worm her way into it.

"How about this." She sighed, signifying it was obviously hard for her to say. "If you take the promotion _and_ speak to Jiraiya, I will owe you a favor."

That surprised Naruto; from what he had learned about Tsunade, she was generally known as being stubborn and uncompromising. He had expected the conversation to be a fight, but why was she caving so easily? Was she actually taking her duty as Hokage..seriously?

For a short while, there was nothing to be said as Naruto contemplated her offer. Really, he was just trying to ensure she knew he was not going to be a pushover in future agreements.

Fortunately for him, the sannin already knew she was going to have to fight him tooth and nail to get anything useful out of him.

Just the way it should be.

"Very well, but I refuse to be forced to agree with anything that man says." He was not going to back down on that, but she had no plans to argue.

In fact, she smiled in relief. That was one less she favored the hermit.

"That's fine. All he asked me to make sure of was that you talked to him. Good riddance, if you ask me."

"If that's all, Tsunade-sama really needs to attend to her next patient." Shizune finally spoke with a sharpness to her tone; they were running late.

"There is one more thing." Tsunade hadn't even taken her first step when Naruto raised his voice.

She was even more inclined to listen as he almost sounded..reluctant.

"I have a patient I need you to heal. Consider the favor taken care of, if you do."

Her smile grew after thinking it over. If that was all she needed to do, then maybe her luck was turning around.

000

It had been a long past few days for Kakashi, literally. Having just awoken from his coma, he obviously had a lot of catching up to do. Within just a few minutes he found out that the next Hokage, Tsunade, was already in the village and was the one that healed him.

Not only that, but one of his students had been wounded by the enemy shinobi before they were forced to retreat.

_'Sasuke..are you so focused on your revenge that you can't see what's right in front of you?'_

The door slid open, forcing Kakashi's eye from the ceiling above his bed to the new arrival. It widened in surprise when he registered who the visitor was.

"Naruto?"

"Kakashi."

_Well, that was a nice greeting._

"..What are you doing here?" The jounin was able to croak out after a bit; his mouth was still dry from inactivity.

Naruto approached the bed, stopping just within reach. He seemed unsure or nervous about something, but what, Kakashi did not know.

"Naruto?" He reiterated after a long pause, concerned.

"I came here to tell you something. After hearing about your close call a few days ago, I felt I couldn't put it off any longer." His gloved hands turned into fists, struggling to support him. "It is a bit late, I suppose."

His voice shook a bit, surprising Kakashi. He had never seen Naruto so flustered.

"Whatever it is, you don't-" A hand gripped Kakashi's shoulder, quieting his protest.

Their eyes met as Naruto told him something he had been waiting so long to hear.

"I forgive you..for what you did." It was obviously hard for Naruto; showing that kind of weakness made him uncomfortable.

There was a pause as the teacher tried to figure out what the boy was talking about. When he did though, his eyes widened in bitter recognition.

Kakashi had to be sure though, he had to know that Naruto meant what he thought he did.

"You mean..when I left you at your father's.." He trailed off, remembering the harsh goodbye the two suffered.

Naruto nodded and Kakashi sunk back into his bed, unable to think. A weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders, and he realized just how much the guilt had weighed on him. In the years that followed that event, he always asked himself if he had made the right decision, leaving Naruto behind. If he had ignored his sensei's wish and held onto the boy, would it have been better?

Naruto had one other thing to say, and it was just as important.

"Thank you..for making that decision, and shouldering the burden. Because of that, I grew up to be a proud Namikaze, and I can make both my father..and you proud."

A tear streamed from Kakashi's eye as he heard that. Those words justified the past decade of self-doubt and guilt that had festered in his mind. He knew now that, no matter how much time had passed, Naruto had not forgotten him.

"Arigatou, Naruto." The boy nodded, but turned to leave.

The older man watched him leave in silence. It had taken him a lot of courage to say those things, and Kakashi still wasn't sure what brought him to want to say them.

But, that just made it mean all the more to Kakashi.

000

_Some time later..._

_Konoha Hospital_

000

The hospital. It felt odd to return there so many times when he was never wounded, but circumstances out of his control had Naruto return. There was someone he needed to check on.

Nurses and doctors scurried to attend to their patients as he walked the halls. Though the war had been over for a month now, there were some cases that were too extreme to be taken care of with cursory treatment. That must have been why they considered Tsunade a choice for Hokage; with her in charge, the hospital wouldn't be allowed to fall into decline as it had been during peacetime.

As Naruto walked the halls, many saw him and bowed in respect. Other shinobi like him that were visiting friends bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

If he had to suspect why the subtle change of pace had happened, it was due to his promotion. Though the ceremony itself was relatively low key, news spread fast.

Held in the Hokage's office, Anko and the other proctors attended the ceremony that saw Naruto and fellow genin Shikamaru promoted for their display during the exams. Though she wouldn't admit to it, Naruto's caretaker wore a real smile for the rest of the day.

The chunin vest he wore now was the physical representation of his promotion. He wore it where he once wore the leather vest—over his white robes. It would need a few changes to be of better use to him, but its visual impact was clearly working.

Despite himself, Naruto did feel somewhat proud to have ascended to a higher rank. That was why he held his head high as he entered the room the head nurse had sent him to.

Inside, Tsunade and Sakura were doing a final checkup on their patient. Since Naruto had cashed in his favor, Tsunade had been working on saving Natsuhi's life from danger. With the necessary ingredients already collected and turned into an effective medicine thanks to Sakura, they were able to start treatment right away.

The two had been working closely since, and it was clear a sort of mutual respect was forming between the girls.

The door quietly closed as Naruto carefully entered the room, not wanting to disturb their work. He had ulterior motives in coming to the hospital though, and because of that he needed to observe how the sannin interacted with his student.

"Well done Sakura, I think we've done all we can." Tsunade said as she lifted her glowing palms from Natsuhi's chest: the treatment was complete.

Now all they had to do was wait for her to awaken.

"I didn't really do much, Tsunade-sama. Your healing technique is more precise than anyone I've observed so far." Sakura bowed to the older woman. "It was a pleasure watching you work."

Tsunade chuckled, she wasn't sure it was fitting to hear herself held to such a high regard. It was flattering though, to be sure.

"Please, Sakura. There isn't any need to sell yourself short. Without your herbalism skills, we might have never been able to make the healing agent in time."

The pink haired girl said nothing, but her face was flushed. Naruto saw her flustered smile and couldn't help but chuckle, which brought their eyes toward the door.

Sakura reacted first, bringing a hand to her blushing face. For her crush to see her like that; it was so embarrassing she couldn't think of anything to say.

Taking a more intrigued approach, Tsunade crossed her arms and looked between the two of them. Now that she was on that vein, the similarity between Sakura's robes and Naruto's was uncanny. That made her wonder just how close those two were.

"Naruto, I see you're checking in on your special patient."

Crossing his arms, Naruto took up a neutral gaze. It would take more than that to find his weakness.

"Naturally. I made the request to have her taken care of, so why wouldn't I?"

The challenge only entertained Tsunade more, but she held her tongue. For now.

She decided to make a tactical retreat and change topics. It would better smooth things over as she moved to the next order of business.

"That vest looks very good on you. As if you were born to wear it. How is it being a chunin?"

Naruto shrugged.

"It doesn't feel any different than yesterday, but we will see what increasing my rank gains me."

"Hmph." Cheeky of him, the sannin thought. "I can tell you one thing: you will be getting more stares from the female population now. They love to see a man in uniform."

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Sakura's reaction. Without her hood on, it made reading her quite easy. The narrowing of the eyes and tightly pursed lips meant she was not amused by the comment.

_'As I thought..'_ Her eyes gravitated between the two of them. _'Naruto, you are an interesting one.'_

"That doesn't concern me." He deflected the question, probably the smartest thing to do. "I have something I need to speak with you about."

Their eyes met and she realized he was serious, as if it was surprising. Just like the rest of the Namikaze, he was secretive up until the point he actually wanted something, and then they became as blunt as a hammer.

"How convenient, I have something I need to talk to you about as well." Naruto uncrossed his arms in curiosity, though he had a sneaking suspicion of what it was.

That left one person as the odd one out, but Sakura took it well. She quickly recovered and bowed to Tsunade before making her way toward the door. After bowing to Naruto but before she could grab the door handle, his hand grabbed her arm.

Tsunade watched as Naruto whispered something in Sakura's ear before sending her off. It seemed important enough to warrant another bow and she almost seemed happy as she walked out.

"You first." Naruto said, steering the conversation forward.

Tsunade was glad to know they wouldn't be playing a game of tag with their words. She soon adopted a scowl as she remembered the conversation she had with Jiraiya. Somehow, the blonde assassin had gotten out of meeting him for the past few days, even though the sage said he would actively try and find him.

Tired of the boy's elusiveness, he went to Tsunade for help. Though she was annoyed of his incompetence and his continued pestering, she was the one that promised the Namikaze would speak to him.

"Jiraiya is waiting for you on the roof of the Hokage's office. See him after you leave here."

It seemed Naruto expected that as he barely flinched.

"Very well." Naruto said, though he was still bothered by the situation. "I will hold you to your promise that I do not have to agree to anything he says though."

She waved a hand dismissively, as if it was a matter of course. There was no doubt in her mind he would seriously invoke it if he needed to, and she knew she couldn't get them to meet again if things turned sour. If all else failed, at least the Namikaze would be on her side.

"Of course, of course. Now, what did you want?" Her eyes narrowed a bit.

After taking care of Natsuhi with no questions asked, she had wondered if that was all the assassin would ask of her. Being the newly welcomed Godaime, having her on his side would mean they would see each other more often. From what she had heard of Naruto's dreams of restoring the Namikaze's glory, he would need more than just himself to do that.

"I have another request to make, as I've watched you and Sakura." No honorific used in her name, interesting. "Please consider her for medical training."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow; along with his request, Naruto threw in a small bow with his head. It clearly meant he wanted to see it carried out. Since he came to her, that must have meant he wanted her to personally train Sakura.

The girl had potential, but she hadn't been sure if it was good idea until Naruto came along.

"And what do I get out of this?" Again with the give and take, she was a harsh diplomat.

Naruto had nothing to personally offer her, so he did the only thing he could think of.

He copied her.

"Consider it a favor that I owe you, if you oversee her training personally."

Tsunade crossed her arms to think it over for a moment. Obviously Naruto had plans for Sakura, and that was something she wouldn't pry into. That said, Sakura had to be aware of the deal.

"As long as Sakura agrees, you have a deal."

"Very well."

Naruto and her spoke a little bit longer about Natsuhi's improving condition before he excused himself to meet with Jiraiya. After he left, Tsunade had to cover her face with a clipboard to not give herself away.

_'You can bet I'll hold you to that favor, Naruto-kun.'_

Tsunade's conniving smirk grew by quite a bit that day.

000

_Hokage Tower_

_Roof_

000

Naruto climbed the stairs that were rounded along the building in order to reach the roof. His footfalls felt heavier than usual, and he realized he was dreading the encounter more than he let on. Out of respect for Tsunade, he had told himself to restrain from harshly judging Jiraiya, despite the less than favorable interactions they had in the past.

He made the final step up and saw the toad sage leaning against the railing. The wind was powerful that day, and his ponytail was being pushed to one side. Despite that, the man looked quite serious as Naruto approached, though his face softened a bit as their eyes met.

Naruto stopped walking while they were still far apart from one another, though they could talk just fine. He crossed his arms and waited for the old man to start.

As far as he was concerned, he could live without having the conversation. Since he had nothing to gain, he had nothing to say.

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile a bit with Naruto's attitude. That stubbornness he had seemed to be shared with so many people Jiraiya had met in his life, himself included. It reminded him why that conversation was so important to have, so that things wouldn't have to be so tense between them.

The fate of the world might be in the balance, so he had to make things right.

"Naruto-san.." Jiraiya got up from the railing and stood up to full height, his body becoming as straight as a plank.

Before Naruto's eyes, the elder shinobi bowed low in order to show respect. Something like that was unheard of, even between shinobi; for one to bow to an assassin, it was madness.

But there was Jiraiya, bowing low to the young clan head.

It was so uncomfortable Naruto had to shift his stance, uncrossing his arms.

"Please forgive me for the words I have spoken about Minato Namikaze and the clan of the Namikaze. They were uncalled for."

There was a pause as Naruto tried to find something to say. Though he enjoyed the fact that Jiraiya was lowering himself in order to apologize, he could not help but think the man was somehow mocking him. It was so ludicrous that the idea wasn't so unfeasible after all.

"What did you think you would get out of me by acting like this? Can't you see how uncomfortable this is for the both of us? Don't mock me!"

He shouted at the old man who ended his bow and met Naruto's gaze with one of his own.

"This was the only way I could think of that would make you listen to what I have to say. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I don't want there to be anything ominous between us."

Naruto had to keep his anger, or else he would lose his edge. Shaking his head in condescension, he crossed his arms again and waited expectantly.

"I hope you have brought me here to do more than apologize. My time is worth more than that."

_'Minato, you trained him so well in combat, but couldn't you have made him a little bit nicer?'_

Jiraiya bit his lip but was able to hold his tongue. There was indeed a reason he brought Naruto out to talk.

"I'd like to tell you of a prediction made by a very wise old toad. The only reason I find it worthy of believing is that so far, all of his predictions have been correct."

Naruto wasn't one to believe in superstition and found himself already doubting the man's words. What reason did he have to stand there and listen to him babble?

"And why should I indulge you?" Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"It could mean the destruction of the world as we know it."

As an assassin, it was Naruto's duty to contribute to the world's stability. His duties were carried out in order to seek peace between the peoples of the world. If there was truth behind Jiraiya's words then perhaps he should listen.

The silence that followed made the toad sage believe Naruto would humor him.

"Very well then. It began with me being summoned to Mount Myouboku, home of the toads..."

000

"And that's it. If the world is to be saved, the right robed figure has to accept my teachings."

Naruto had listened to the so-called prophecy and continued to hold doubts. The wording was too vague for him to buy into it, let alone allow Jiraiya to have his way. He would not adjust how he lived just on some old man's hunch.

"I accept your apology, Jiraiya of the sannin. However, I am not convinced that this..prediction is anything more than wishful thinking. I refuse to become your apprentice."

Despite himself, Jiraiya felt himself growing tired of Naruto's rhetoric. How could he not see the danger? Did he know what they risked if they indulged his stubbornness?

"How can you say that after I've told you what we are risking here? Don't let your emotions get in the way of-"

"Perhaps.." Naruto cut off the angry sannin, his level tone urged calm. "You should be telling yourself that same advice. It is _you_ now that is driven by emotion to seek this prophecy's conclusion, not me. From a rational standpoint, I have no reason to believe what you say outside of your own words."

"Naruto.." Perhaps he had overstepped his bounds, but it did not make the sage's words any less threatening.

"My father spoke of you with a certain level of respect that I expected to be reciprocated. When it was not, it colored my opinion of you. I'm sorry, but it will take more than an apology for me to take your words for truth."

Naruto sighed, he felt he would regret what he was going to say next. At the same time though, he knew that severing his connection with Jiraiya would not benefit him in the long run.

"However.." The toad sage perked up, as if the boy was going to change his mind. ", out of respect for my father, I will accept what advice and training you can give me. When we meet and how often it is, is up to me."

It wasn't exactly what Jiraiya had in mind, but the boy wasn't giving him a lot of maneuver. His earlier behavior didn't give him much stand on as an arguing point, either.

"Prove to me you are worth listening to, then maybe I'll take what you said into consideration."

Naruto bowed his head a slight bit before turning to leave. He had said all he needed to.

Jiraiya watched him leave, his mind deep in thought.

_'You've made your point, Naruto. With what time we have, I'll make sure you see things my way.'_

000

_Namikaze Compound_

000

Sakura waited somewhat patiently for Naruto in the main room of the clan head's home. She had been sitting there for hours, waiting for him to return. Fidgeting nervously, she silently cursed him and wished he would hurry up in order to calm her nerves.

Since he had told her there was something very important the two of them had to talk about, she had been on edge. At the hospital, when he said there was something he wanted to discuss with her and that she should go to his home, she thought it was finally time to advance her training.

Then she wondered if that was just wishful thinking on her part.

_'I can't get impatient. Naruto will know when the time is right..'_

_**'Don't forget what Tsunade said about our skills! We are ready for the next level. Cha!'**_

Her more confident, inner self weighed its own opinion. It was true that after working with Tsunade in the hospital, she felt a lot more comfortable with her abilities. Perhaps that was why Naruto-

The door slid open and she jumped with anxiety.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Footsteps hurriedly came from behind her as Naruto rushed to her side, concerned.

When his arms wrapped around her shoulders, she let loose a happy sigh. Training or no, she was just glad he was there.

"I-I'm fine, Naruto. You just got scared me." He chuckled and sat down next to her.

"Sorry, I'm still used to this place being deserted."

They got into a comfortable silence before Naruto broached the subject that was on both their minds.

"About when I said there was something important to talk about..it involves you and I."

That got Sakura thinking on a wild tangent of subjects, of which not all were appropriate to talk about out loud. Teenage girls would be teenage girls, or so the saying went.

Naruto had no such distraction and continued with his explanation, rather than leave it open.

"Because of my promotion to chunin, I'm taking it upon myself to advance my rank in the clan. That will make me what is called a journeyman, which is the basic equivalent to a chunin shinobi."

Interested, Sakura turned toward Naruto and listened quietly. She still had a lot to learn about the culture and terminology used by assassins, so that was her first time hearing that information.

"Unlike chunin though, journeymen can more openly teach the assassin craft and take on apprentices."

The gears in Sakura's head started to turn as she realized where the conversation was going, and her heart leaped. Did he really mean to train her?

"Does that mean.." She trailed off, not wanting to disappoint herself with a wrong guess.

Naruto smiled.

"Yes, Sakura. Today is the day I can promote you from an initiate to a novice assassin. From then on, I can fully begin to teach you the assassin art."

Though the girl began to get excited, Naruto lost his smile. The next part was not as uplifting as the last, but it had to be said.

"Taking that leap is a big step though, and I want you to be sure that you want to join the clan. If you do this, you will not be Sakura Haruno, but Sakura Namikaze. All the privileges and limitations that come with being a member will be yours." Naruto saw her face sour a bit, and he knew it was a lot to put in front of her at once.

"I will give you what time you need to decide, and I will understand if you refuse." Their eyes met. "There is something I want you to know though, before you choose."

Naruto removed his gloves and put his hood down so they could see each other completely. With both hands, he gently grabbed her own.

Sakura's eyes looked down and saw his hands. They were still growing to their full size, but they resembled the hands of a full grown man. Callouses and scars told her of the work he had put in to get where he was, and she wondered if she could say the same. The tattoo of the Namikaze emblem stood out to her the most; its elegant design was something anyone would wear with pride, but was she ready?

"I want you to know..that I believe in you. If it was up to me, I would have you stay here and train and live with me. But it isn't that easy. You have a family, a life outside of this that I don't want to ruin. That is why I can accept a no from you."

There was a long pause before Sakura found the will to speak. It wasn't a decision she wanted to make lightly, but she wanted to make sure Naruto knew how she felt.

"For everything you've done for me, I want to say thank you. If it wasn't for you..I.." Sakura cursed silently before wiping a tear. ", I might have never learned anything. This entire time, I've been chasing you, trying to reach your level."

Naruto listened silently as Sakura spilled her emotions out. It was hard for him to bear seeing her so conflicted, but it was something that had to happen.

"Now I know from working with Tsunade that I don't have to copy someone else, but I can do something that not very many others can." Her eyes met his, filled with determination. "When you said I could become a healer, I wasn't so sure. Now I am."

He felt her hands grip his, tightly.

"It may take some getting used to, and I'm not sure if I can meet your expectations, but I have a goal now. Please.." Sakura bowed her head. ", continue to teach me."

Naruto felt his eyes water a bit, but he quickly blinked them away before Sakura could see. Carefully, he removed a hand from her grip and held her chin up so their eyes could meet.

Sakura's eyes widened when she realized how close their faces were. As a red glow began to take over cheeks, Naruto's eyes looked her once over, as if to check for any doubt. Finally, he smiled and leaned in.

"I can't say no.." His lips brushed her forehead, deepening her blush. "..if you say it like that."

Their lips met for a moment before Naruto began to pull away.

Not one to have such a rare moment ripped from her, Sakura's arms reached around behind his neck. Aggressively, she surged forward and had their lips meet again. And again. Until their lips were sore.

Perhaps there was more of her 'inner' self on the outside than Sakura would admit to, after all.

000

Wow, glad to get this chapter done. It was a rough start but it just seemed to roll right off the page today. I was really worrying whether I would get the proper interaction between Tsunade and Naruto, but I think I nailed it.

Jiraiya and Naruto's relationship is finally reset to give me some room to work. Sakura and Naruto's relationship is solidified, and Natsuhi is ready for a real debut in the future. Kakashi got the closure he needed which will hopefully let Naruto and him start over properly, or perhaps their relationship never stopped?

But what of Sasuke? And the Akatsuki? Karin? Tayuya?

All of it will finally have a resolution next chapter as we leave off for Part II.

I had hoped to finish everything in one, just like with _Rise of Darkness_. Also like _Darkness_, however, the chapter ended up being too long and it wasn't going to convey the right feeling if it was all shipped together.

I can say that there is only one chapter left for either story, and I will soon start working on Blonde Uchiha Part II in my spare time. Things will hopefully pick up as summer starts.

For now though, I hope you enjoy and be sure to leave a review.

See ya!


	19. Rebirth of the Namikaze

Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze

Chapter 19

Rebirth of the Namikaze

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.**

"Speaking"

_'Thinking'_

_Text/Writing_

"**Jutsu**"

"**Tailed Beast Speak"**

It's time for the final chapter of Part I.

000

_Later that night..._

000

It was quiet in the Namikaze home as night descended. With the excitement of the previous day over with, there was a lull to follow it. If Naruto's plans continued to succeed, the compound might not stay so quiet. That was why he remained up that night, meditating in his room, to enjoy the solitude.

Soft steps outside signaled Dosu and Kin's patrol along the wood walkways that surrounded and intersected the large home. They were stubborn sometimes, but loyal. It seemed capturing them was the right thing to do after all.

_'Is death really the only true answer?' _That was something an assassin should never have had to struggle with, but there he was, defying some of the most core tenants of the Order.

Before he could contemplate further, there was a soft thud from outside. A few seconds later, there was another. From beneath his hood, Naruto's eyes watched as a shadow enveloped the paper thin door in front of him. Quietly, it slid open to reveal a large figure dressed in black robes.

"I had a feeling someone would visit me tonight." He said out loud to the intruder, motionless.

Behind them, Naruto could see Dosu and Kin on the ground. Surprisingly, they looked like they were still alive, just unconscious. Why did that person spare them?

"Do not worry yourself about the other two, they are merely asleep." The man spoke, his voice urged calm despite his intrusion.

"I'm afraid I have little to say to someone without any kind of respect to the Namikaze, or private property." Their eyes met, the deep red of a sharingan reflected in the moonlight.

"My apologies, but the Namikaze have been dead for quite some time. To pretend they exist now is wishful thinking, at best." Naruto gritted his teeth to the stranger's jab.

"As if the Uchiha are any more alive or mourned by the world." To their credit, the stranger did not flinch.

"Nor would I argue otherwise, for it was my doing that ensured their memory would quietly leave." Silence came over the two for a moment before the cloaked man spoke again. "I have something I'd like to speak with you about."

Naruto slowly got up from the floor, spreading his legs a bit. Recognizing the stance and pose, the stranger's eyes narrowed.

"Itachi Uchiha, don't think I know nothing of what you are. To come into the lion's den and expect to leave unharmed, you truly are a fool." Assuming the offensive stance of an assassin, Naruto readied himself.

Itachi stepped forward so that he was now completely illuminated by the moon. Shucking off the straw hat that had concealed his face, his sharingan twirled in annoyance.

"Seems like I have no choice but to force you, Namikaze Naruto."

000

In the underground labyrinths that make up the Oto village, there was fresh activity. Since being severely wounded in his battle with the Sandaime Hokage, Orochimaru had limited himself in how he lived in order to give longevity to his current body. That meant that as time went on, he left the safe haven of the village less and less on his usual escapades and many feared their master was dying.

Orochimaru had been gathering his servants to prepare for an auspicious occasion that would happen upon them soon. Constant planning had ensured that the date would not be missed, and that failure could not even be considered. While the present time was bleak, the future looked bright for Orochimaru.

Now, within his throne room in the underground complex he had gathered his closest, most prized servants to begin the final act of the plan. Tayuya and the rest of the sound four knelt before their master, waiting for him to give them orders. Kabuto flanked Orochimaru, ever present in his schemes as a strategic liaison. Lastly, Orochimaru had invited Karin on a whim to redeem herself by joining the operation.

It was a gamble, but no matter the cost the mission had to succeed.

The sannin let out a cackle as he found the group before him entertaining. So subservient, yet so deadly. If they knew how weak he really was, would they attack? The deception he had been able to pull over their eyes was so simple, it made him laugh that it actually worked.

"I have gathered you five here today for a mission of great importance." He paused to cough, careful to control his body lest he look too weak. "It is time for us to reap the seeds we so carefully sowed during the Chunin exam, and one of them has grown to be ripe for the taking."

Sakon looked up at him with resolute features. "Give us any order, Orochimaru-sama, and we will see it completed."

"Hm. Well said, Sakon." Orochimaru purred, his mouth curved in a devilish grin. "You see, failure today is not an option...for any of you." His eyes met theirs, message clear.

"Your objective is to bring Sasuke Uchiha safely to me, so that I may finally take the body I deserve."

"It will be done, Orochimaru-sama." They responded, pleasing their master.

"Good..Karin." Her body twitched in fear, but she was able to meet his gaze. "You will go with them and ensure the operation is a success. Watch for enemy shinobi and protect Sasuke with your life."

"Understood, Orochimaru-sama." Karin bowed her head.

In both Tayuya and Karin's minds, they wondered whether or not they would encounter that blonde assassin again. Both feared what the outcome would be should they dare to cross paths again—neither sure whether they would survive it.

000

"Kuh!" Hand roughly held to his back, Naruto was pushed to the ground in a difficult position of submission.

Above him was Itachi, barely shaking in his hold of Naruto's body. Around them, the room had been ransacked in their combat, but the fight had been relatively one sided. Despite Naruto's potential and natural ability, he had neither the experience or the leverage necessary to beat a skilled sharingan user.

"Now.." The older brother of Sasuke said with little change of tone. "You will listen to what I have to say."

Far from defeated, Naruto willed his free arm to move. With a single hand, he began to go through a small set of seals.

Itachi's eyes widened—Naruto had learned to use single hand seals? Sensing danger, he looked up and saw the room begin to light up with dozens of small paper tags. That was when he realized just how prepared Naruto had been for their encounter.

"Don't..flatter yourself." Naruto said through gritted teeth. "I will stop you, regardless of what happens to myself."

Willing to kill himself just to destroy his enemy? The willpower of the boy below him suddenly became clear to the Uchiha.

"That..is my duty as an assassin." He finished with confidence, ready to make the last hand sign.

Suddenly, the arms binding him fell loose. Though surprised, Naruto quickly got up and readied himself again to fight Itachi. When he looked at the older ninja though, he realized that fighting was not his intention.

"It's enough, Naruto-kun." The sudden change of tone and the adding of an honorific surprised the blonde. "The truth of why I came here was to ask for your help."

Unable to comprehend the sudden change, Naruto was left speechless. Itachi took advantage of that and continued with what he set out to say.

"You see, I've been a terrible big brother." A soft smile cracked his otherwise stone cold visage. "For my brother Sasuke, I've made his life hard. Too hard."

"Sasuke...?" Naruto muttered.

"I'm going to tell you the truth about the Uchiha. Whatever you have in your records, can finally be validated." His eyes narrowed. "And with that information, I want you to save my brother when the time is right."

Silence ensued, and not long after Itachi began to recite his tale of the Uchiha clan's final demise. Though he had mostly come to terms with it, it was still hard to say to an outsider.

Through it all, Naruto listened. And he began to understand the fate of the Uchiha.

000

At the same time, elsewhere in the village, a young shinobi was out at a late hour. On his back he wore a backpack filled with the last belongings he cared for, and they were few indeed. In front of him, the moon. It served as the compass that would lead him to his destiny.

Behind him was the village he had chosen to forsake. In order to become stronger, he needed more. Friends, family, love; they were all a farce, used by weaklings to explain their own shortcomings.

The truth was that to have power, one had to seek it out. To use it for yourself, you had to take it for yourself—you and you alone. There was no room for sharing or open handedness; the shinobi world was that of tough decisions.

Funny, Sasuke believed it to be the easiest one of them all to make.

_'To avenge the Uchiha, I will do what I must.'_

On a lamp post a ways behind Sasuke, a figure watched him leave through the north gate. They did not wait long to disappear, off to an unseen location. Whoever they were, the urgency behind reporting Sasuke's disappearance seemed to outweigh physically stopping him from leaving.

000

_The next day..._

000

"...and that is the situation. With Sasuke missing, we have no choice but to launch an operation in order to find and return him to the village."

Tsunade explained to the one person that joined her in the Hokage office. Terribly understaffed and, with the the suddenness of the news, she was only able to gather Naruto in time. Though Shikamaru was on his way, they could not afford to wait considering the circumstances.

"Understood." Seemingly unperturbed, Naruto acknowledged the order without complaint. "If he doesn't come willingly, to what extent should I force him?"

The Hokage's features hardened, and Naruto realized the answer to his question was self evident. With his kekkei genkai and the parties interested in obtaining it, they couldn't afford to let Sasuke escape alive. To prevent more conflict, Naruto might have to kill the Uchiha heir.

Though they could have never been considered close, or even friends for that matter, there was a level of respect the two had developed for each other during their time in Team 7. Comrades was the closest word he could find, but then it had been a matter of convenience. If nothing else, they had come to understand one another as the last of their kind, but the conclusions they came to on where to go from there differed greatly.

While Naruto had the Creed to steady him, what did Sasuke have? The memory of his family being killed before his eyes, the perpetrator his brother no less.

No, no matter how he tried, Naruto could not blame Sasuke for what path he had chosen.

"Bring him back, no matter what." She responded, the tone used enough to denote what she meant.

But there was always a consequence for the actions a person took. The Uchiha would receive his as long as he kept on the path of the avenger.

If it was Naruto's duty to dispense it, then so be it.

With little else to say, Naruto turned on his heel to leave. Before he could get out the door, Tsunade called out to him.

"Naruto, can you do this? If necessary, you might have to kill him." She knew his history with Team 7, but she didn't know _him_.

"Asking me that shames my family's name." He opened the door and stepped out without another word.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. With no one else to rely on, she would put her faith in Naruto. From all accounts he was one of the most capable shinobi she had on hand.

No, scratch that. He was the only capable _assassin_ for the job.

000

Shikamaru sped down the hall in an uncharacteristic show of distress. After he had heard the news of Sasuke leaving, and that Naruto had already been briefed he knew he had to hurry. What the hell was going on? First an invasion, then the Uchiha up and leaves?

Things were getting too complicated in Konoha.

He saw Naruto step out of the Hokage's office and stopped in a huff. Running just wasn't his thing after all.

"Naruto..what the hell is going on?" The assassin turned to look at him, but he didn't seem interested.

"Sasuke has left the village. We are going to get him back." Naruto walked past Shikamaru in the direction of the exit, though he didn't seem concerned by the words he had just spoken.

Before Shikamaru could call out for a better explanation, Naruto spoke again. That time to give an order to the fellow chunin.

"Gather as many genin as you can at the north gate. We leave in fifteen minutes." After that, he was gone.

Confused, Shikamaru turned toward the Hokage's office. Rather than going in to get an explanation that would only waste his time, he decided to follow Naruto's advice. If they wanted to get Sasuke back, they couldn't waste time.

_'What a drag...this is what I get for being the last one here!'_

000

Naruto arrived at home right on time. He had only a little while before they had to return to join up with Shikamaru, but it would be enough. There was someone he had to collect first.

The sun was bright that day, the forest canopy cast the courtyard in a dark shadow. A gust of wind guided Naruto home, like a bird riding the breeze.

Anko was waiting at the front entrance, bowing to him as he marched past. She fell into step behind him as they entered the main home of the Namikaze. There, Dosu and Kin welcomed him as he entered through the first sliding door.

All four proceeded through the house to the armory where their last guest was. No, she couldn't be called that anymore. They had past the last threshold just a few nights ago.

The newest family member was finishing her preparations for the mission. Dosu and Kin no longer watched her with suspicion, no door was locked to her. She was Namikaze.

The large wooden door swung open with a loud crack. Naruto stood in the doorway and crossed his arms with pride as he watched the young girl slip on her gloves last. Tattooed proudly on her left ring finger was the Namikaze seal, signifying her place in the clan.

"Sakura, are you ready?" The girl turned around in full assassin attire, courtesy Anko who had created them specifically for her size.

Though her outfit was slimmed down a bit to better match a female's proportions, the general guise remained the same. The red and white attire changed Sakura's appearance from a young shinobi girl to a dangerous assassin with little effort. There was power behind the wardrobe.

With a shared smile, their eyes met. It was as if all the time they had spent together had gone by in a flash, replaced by that one moment of final consummation.

In one motion, Sakura lifted her hood over her head to mimic Naruto.

Pride stirred within him as she warmly responded.

"Yes, Naruto."

000

_Land of Fire_

000

Away from the village, a group of Oto shinobi rested their bodies. Despite their considerable physical capabilities, the energy that was sapped by the curse mark made it almost impossible to use without succumbing to exhaustion. It was the other side of Orchimaru's double edged sword, embedded within each of them.

"That was close." Jirobo coughed, his large body felt it the worst.

"Too close." Sakon muttered, annoyed that they had to use their trump card early.

After picking up Sasuke, it had taken them until early morning to complete the ritual needed to seal him. By then, they had wasted too much time for their intelligence on Konoha patrols to be useful. Considering the tight time table, they had to risk it and move anyway. On the way, they ran into two jounin from the village and had a tough battle that took more energy than they would have liked.

They couldn't keep resting if they wanted to outpace any pursuers.

"Fuckin' idiots, we can't afford to stay here any longer." Tayuya picked herself up, yelling at the others to do the same.

"Why the hell are you so worried?" Sakon growled, slowly turning his lips into a grin. "Would have figured you'd like sitting on yer ass."

Her glare was as sharp as daggers, but she wasn't acting like the usual Tayuya. It was difficult to find something that could shake her to be uncomfortable or anxious. Something in Konoha scared her, and Sakon thought it had something to do with Karin too.

Since they started the mission, both of the girls had been spooked. It was subtle at first, and if he didn't know any better could have been passed of as simple paranoia. It got old fast, and he noticed that certain sounds or colors frightened them more than ever before.

_'What's with them?'_ It didn't really matter though; Orochimaru would have their heads if they waited around any longer.

"Let's go, don't want to keep Orochimaru-sama waiting." With that, the rest of the group picked themselves up and leaped into the trees.

Though he didn't appreciate the pressure placed on him, Sakon was determined to complete his mission. If he happened to run into the boogeyman those two were so afraid of, it would be a fun experience destroying him.

He looked over and saw Jirobo holding the large barrel on his back. Inside, Sasuke was in the process of fully awakening his curse mark, putting him one step closer to synchronizing with Orochimaru. They had to make sure the ride remained smooth, no matter what.

"Karin!" The red head shook with surprise. "Quit spacing out and keep an eye out for the Leaf!"

That must have been the tenth time he caught her gazing into nothing. Her head had been bowed like she was staring at the bark of the tree branches.

"I-I got it!" She shouted back with a bit of strength, but not as much as usual.

Her thoughts were wandering back to the chunin exams, back to Konoha, back to Naruto. Had she been in a different situation, Karin would have leaped at the chance to stay with him. For both of their safety, she had no choice but to return to her _master_, to the man that held the guillotine above her head.

Not a day went by she didn't regret leaving the way she did, but there was nothing more she could do. She was sure that by now, Naruto had felt the sting of betrayal, his feelings for her (if there had been any to begin with) were gone. He wasn't something she deserved; a white knight like him killed for justice while she murdered for greed.

Greed, greed to stay alive. To please her master, that was all she could do. To protect him, she would stay away.

000

Not far behind, Naruto led his platoon through the forest outside of Konoha. It hadn't been hard to pick up on the familiar scent of Sasuke, which had in turn led him to another scent when his had disappeared. It was at that point he knew he would not be dealing with just any group of shinobi, considering Tayuya was a part of their group.

Not only that, but he thought he could discern one another. He shook it off as wishful thinking, but he had yet to be wrong.

To keep them out of trouble, Naruto had Dosu and Kin use a transformation jutsu on themselves. When asked who the two new chunin were, he explained that they were under the command of Anko, who would be joining them. The Nara was smart, smart enough not to direct any questions to Orochimaru's old apprentice.

Funny what making yourself a bit taller and wearing a flak jacket could do to convince people to look the other way. The way they would share occasional glances at one another meant they were pretty uncomfortable with the situation, but they would manage.

"We must be getting close, the scent is stronger than ever!" Kiba shouted with Akamaru barking in agreement.

He rubbed his sensitive nose as it itched from being overwhelmed. It was the hardest he had concentrated in a while, but it couldn't be helped.

"Yes, they are just up ahead." Neji said without missing a step, his eyebrows narrowed in tune with his focus. "Just up ahead of them is a clearing. We will land right on top of them."

"Pick up the pace!" Naruto ordered from the front, Sakura at his side.

It wasn't long before he could tell with more than just his nose where the enemy were. The area around them had been disturbed, and far out in the distance he could see their robes flapping in the wind. So close.

There was a blinding light not far ahead of them: the clearing Neji had told them about. Naruto held up a fist just as they neared the edge of the forest. The Konoha shinobi scattered and found cover while they waited for the order to attack. The genin were restless, but Naruto wasn't about to lead them into an ambush.

Their enemies had stopped in the clearing, clearly onto their pursuers. In a pentagon formation, they protected some sort of crate or barrel. On top of it there was someone sitting down, hands making some sort of seal. That was when he realized his earlier intuition had been correct after all, and he lamented on that fact.

She was one of the last people he wanted to see at that moment.

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered into his ear, concerned.

He had been sitting still for a long time. Anko and his retainers were the only ones to stay by his side, the rest of the Konoha shinobi were all around in the forest.

"Naruto-sama? What's wrong?" His caretaker asked, as she hadn't expected him to hesitate.

"...Let's go." He said, leaping down from the branch and walking into the field.

"What the hell?" Dosu muttered in bewilderment.

Was he going to give up their advantage just like that?

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, leaping down to join him.

"Damn, come on." Anko ordered them to follow as they all entered the clearing in plain sight.

The two parties were still a fair distance away from one another when Naruto stopped. Dosu grabbed his shoulder and furiously whispered his thoughts.

"What the hell? We had the advantage when they couldn't see us." Naruto turned to look at the bandaged boy, his blue eyes boring into Dosu.

Without another word, he released the assassin and stepped back in his place. There was no way he would risk his own life just to point out a flaw in Naruto's actions, though his life was already being risked in the open like that.

"You were both part of Oto, so you should know better than anyone who _that_ is." His finger indicated they look at the girl sitting on the barrel.

Their eyes widened in recognition soon after.

"Karin..."

"When did she..."

They were speechless at the spy's presence. Clearly, the gravity of the situation was dawning on them.

"Her sensory abilities makes hiding useless." He whistled loudly, a flock of birds shook loose from the nearby forest as five shadows appeared behind him.

The Konoha shinobi had made themselves known.

Their enemies did not seem to be fazed by their overwhelming numbers. If anything, the men were frustrated that they had been delayed by another group. Considering their numbers, it would be a sizable delay too.

000

"Damn...Tayuya, get ready to-" Sakon shouted as he turned to look at the girl, but stopped when he realized she was frozen in place.

Her body was shaking as she looked at the enemy leader, the one in the white robes. That was the boogeyman that had them so scared?

Sakon looked behind his back to see Karin slowly opening her eyes from her jutsu. Her ability to sense the enemy from a distance had given them a bit of a heads up, but it hadn't been enough to get them an advantage. She wouldn't even look at the enemy, and that was when he knew it was bad.

"Tayuya!" He shouted, waking her from her stupor. "Take the barrel with Sasuke and get out of here. Get Karin too."

Afraid to move but even more anxious to leave, the red head didn't even think of a comeback before grabbing the barrel and running in the opposite direction of Naruto. There was no way she could fight him again without dying. It was suicide to stay.

Karin did hazard a glance toward the Konoha shinobi as she left, and almost found herself frozen in place. Naruto's sapphire eyes glowered right at her. All of his frustration and hatred, she could feel it in his aura. That familiar warmth she had come to enjoy in his visits to her hospital room had been replaced with burning anger.

If she wanted to live, she had to run far away.

000

Naruto watched Karin leave and felt a tinge of annoyance he couldn't give pursuit. It would be an unwieldy fight if they all stayed behind to finish off the Sound group, not to mention Sasuke could get away. Their best chance was to divide their forces.

"Shikamaru, you're in charge of the genin. You handle these guys." Naruto said without batting an eyelash, it was obvious he had some sort of plan.

He didn't even take his eyes off the enemy for a second to consult the rest of them. Despite Anko being a higher rank, she didn't seem to mind either. That was until she heard his next order.

"Anko, you stay as well. Watch over them."

"But-" The older ninja cut herself off before she said something she would regret.

With strangers watching, she couldn't afford to have an emotional outburst. Every fibre in her being urged her to protect Naruto, to stay by him. Her loyalty to him prevented her from going against his order, but she didn't have to like it.

"Fine brat, but watch your back." She said in perfect character, making Naruto manage a small grin.

Shikamaru wanted to argue with Naruto, but he couldn't see himself winning. He might not have liked it, but there was no way they could all stay behind and still catch Sasuke. To win, they would have to divide and conquer. Considering they had the numbers advantage, they also had the advantage in who to split up.

Naruto was banking on the genin being enough to win against the three weirdos. There was even a chance he was risking too much by leaving the experienced Anko behind, but it just meant he was worried about them.

So he would have to put his faith in someone else's strategy that time.

"Go, we can handle things here." Shikamaru told Naruto with confidence.

_'Such a drag.'_

Without another word Naruto, Sakura, and the ex-Oto ninja leaped forward. It looked like they would run right into Sakon and the others, but then with a leap they were over their heads.

"Oh no ya don't!" Kidomaru launched a net made of web to catch them, but was interrupted by a shower of kunai.

The remaining Sound team was forced to separate and dodge the ranged projectiles. Sakon growled and turned on his heel to go after Naruto, but stopped when he sensed someone right next to him. Arms up against his head, he barely blocked the kick sent by Anko, but she just about broke his arm with her strength.

In a flash they disconnected and fought each other in a flurry of melee. While she held the enemy leader off, Neji fought against Kidomaru and found himself to be the only one capable of cutting the chakra web. Kiba and Chouji worked together to bring Jirobo down, their strength and speed made a deadly combination.

Shikamaru remained in the back, preparing a strategy as his shadow jutsu gathered strength. They would win, it was only a matter of time.

The question was whether they would be able to make it back to the others in time.

000

Tayuya hadn't made it that far when she sensed more of them approach. Karin must have felt it long before her, but she was as quiet as a ghost too. They both knew what was coming but didn't want to face it.

What kind of a person could give off the aura that made a shinobi like her frightened?

_'Only Orochimaru has made me feel like this...their strength is undeniable.'_

Known as the second most powerful of the group, that title made Tayuya superior to more than the average ninja. How ironic it was to see herself shrink in the face of the robed one.

Her senses tingled again and she landed on the nearest tree branch, almost slipping. A throwing knife embedded itself in the tree, inches from her face. Tayuya turned to face Naruto and his followers, barely able to lift her own flute.

Karin was close too, frightened at what might happen to them next. There was no telling what Naruto was thinking. All she knew was the aura he was giving off was not friendly.

"Give up the barrel, and you might live." Naruto said without a hint of remorse or hesitation.

_'Shit...'_ Tayuya knew it was bad, but could it get any worse?

Maybe if she could summon her doki to buy some time...

In a flash, a blade was at her throat before her lips could form a single note. He was faster than before, if that was even possible. Her eyes shook as she felt his eyes stab into her.

"Not this time, Tayuya-san." She noticed him form a fist and cock his arm back.

Fearing for her life, she shut her eyes tightly and waited for the end. Instead, the blonde grabbed her flute and broke it in two with one hand. No more would she be a nuisance: now she was just another scared little girl.

Tayuya opened her eyes to see the two pieces of her flute fall to the forest floor. Before she could react, Naruto sent his boot into her stomach. She was sent flying into a tree, shattering it with the force of the attack.

Karin's mouth was agape, her red eyes unable to tear themselves away from Naruto. In one swift motion he had been able to disarm and defeat Tayuya. What chance did they have to escape now?

The musician groaned and tried to move her body, displaying that she was still alive. Blood escaped from her mouth and seemed to flow down her arms and legs—cut up from the tree's wooden shrapnel. She wouldn't be moving without any help for a while.

With the biggest threat taken care of, Naruto turned his attention to Karin. Their eyes met as Naruto made a hand motion to the others. Two shadows found themselves next to the red head, and she immediately recognized Kin and Dosu despite their transformation. They held her arms behind her back, and they knew that though she was crafty, she wouldn't be able to escape as long as they both held her.

"Naruto..." Tears started to flow from Karin's eyes, completely ignoring her captors.

The pain that she could see flash across his face when he looked at her—it broke her heart. To know that her actions didn't protect him but instead wounded him made it even harder to bear. She didn't know what to say. It was impossible for her to run or escape, because all the fight had been taken out of her the moment she knew Naruto would be the one after them.

"Naruto." Sakura appeared next to him, her small hand reaching for his.

There were no words shared between them, but Sakura's mere presence spoke volumes. With just a few seconds alone, the strength in Naruto's body returned full force. He looked at the barrel next to them and quickly understood it was sealed with some sort of jutsu. There was little doubt it had Sasuke inside.

"Okay, let's get this thing back to Konoha."

"What about them?" Dosu shouted, meaning the captured Sound ninja.

There was a moment of hesitation before Naruto answered.

"We bring them with us, grab the other one." He was an assassin, but there were advantages to keeping them alive long enough to interrogate.

Besides, he doubted his mind would be at ease if he struck them down there. He wanted answers.

Before they could move, a new presence was felt by Naruto. It was coming right at him, and Sakura. He pushed her out of the way and turned on his heel with his hidden blade ready. A flash of white came flying toward his face as his blade hit some sort of bone chain.

In a short battle of strength, Naruto and the new assailant fought against one another. The assassin had the advantage of speed though, and when he ducked the attack sailed over his head harmlessly. He sent a kick toward the enemy which made them leap back to the safety of a nearby branch.

The new one was taller than the rest, older too. He had long white hair that matched his sickly complexion. His body was weak and frail, but Naruto could not argue against his strength.

He looked at Tayuya, then at Karin. Obviously disgusted, the Oto-nin shook his head and began to release more of the bony blades from his body.

"Orochimaru-sama was mistaken in leaving the mission to you, Tayuya. You can't even handle this trash."

Kin and Dosu both knew who they were facing and suddenly the tables turned in who was shaking in fear. Kimimaro's reputation as the leader of the Sound Five was already bad enough, now was he was going to go all out against Naruto. They didn't know who would win between the two of them, so sure they were of their ex-compatriot's strength.

"Fuck...you." Tayuya managed to say before coughing up more blood.

She was still stuck in the tree, unable to escape. It seemed her 'comrade' was keen on leaving her in the dire circumstances, much more interested in the barrel that was next to Naruto.

With a wave of his arm, dozens of bone fragments were launched at Dosu and Kin like shuriken. They had to let go of Karin to dodge, who was also barely able to escape.

Naruto leaped forward to close the distance between them. He wouldn't let the new enemy gain the advantage, he was only one person. Whatever kekkei genkai he had wouldn't be enough to avoid an assassin's blade.

The assassin's arms crossed as his hands tucked behind them, reaching for something. A puff of smoke revealed Naruto's short swords, two tanto blades made of finely crafted steel. Lightning coursed through them as Naruto fed his chakra into them to fight against Kimimaro.

Blade met bone as the two began to duel. Naruto had the advantage of speed and was able to launch more attacks, but Kimimaro's strength and durability was undeniable. No matter how hard the strike, his weapons would not break against the pressure. They seemed to be evenly matched in the art of kenjutsu, so much so that Naruto realized it wouldn't be a fight he could win easily.

That was when he decided to cut his losses.

"Sakura, grab the barrel and go!" He yelled as he blocked a strike meant for his heart.

Conflicted, the pink head didn't want to leave him to fight against the Oto ninja. He was the most powerful one they had seen yet, and she knew Naruto was having trouble fighting him. Even if their mission was to rescue Sasuke no matter what, her feelings made sure her feet stayed anchored to the battlefield where Naruto was.

She wouldn't leave him.

"Run, Naruto!" An unfamiliar voice shouted that they realized was Karin.

She didn't escape when she had the chance?

"He's not someone you can beat. You have to run!" As if to accentuate her point, Kimimaro speared Naruto through the stomach.

Everyone froze as real blood emerged from his back—it was no clone or substitution. A lapse in his defense, Kimimaro saw through him when he was distracted by Karin. Even the strongest fell when the time was right.

Sakura screamed and leaped for her lover. Dosu and Kin were frozen, unable to tear their eyes from the scene. Karin could only watch as Naruto's chakra dimmed.

Naruto coughed up a bit of blood, spitting it from his mouth right into Kimimaro's eyes. With the distraction, he sent his blades cutting deep into the bone user's chest. With a roar, he let loose a massive amount of chakra that surged from his body into Kimimaro's, making even the zombie grunt in pain.

Despite his sacrifice, Naruto felt blood and strength leave his body. When he fell to one knee, Sakura was next to him with a healing elixir being shoved into his mouth.

"Drink it!" She ordered, her voice high pitched and desperate.

With a powerful yank, she pulled the bone sword loose. Not wasting a moment, she grabbed Naruto by the waist and jumped away to heal him. Sakura carefully laid him down on a nearby branch and removed his hood so she could see his eyes and make sure he was still with her.

"Hang on, Naruto. Hang on.." Her voice cracked in fear as she began to go through hand signs, green chakra glowing from her palms.

"Sakura.." He groaned, a smile on his face. "You've been practicing medical ninjutsu?"

"Shut up, idiot! Just let me heal you." It was clear she wouldn't take no for an answer, so Naruto let her work without interfering.

He could hear Kyuubi cursing as he too worked to heal Naruto's body. The beast couldn't afford for him to die so soon.

Kimimaro removed the two blades from his chest and leaped onto the branch with the barrel. He effortlessly grabbed the container and placed it on his back, but suddenly his body froze.

"That chakra..." Naruto's lightning chakra did more than just give him a nasty shock.

It was now interfering with his nervous system. He couldn't move a muscle.

"Dosu, now's our chance!" Kin shouted, readying a few explosive kunai in her hand.

"Right!" They launched their attack from a safe distance.

Though they were shocked into inaction at first, the need to protect Naruto and defeat Kimimaro was at the forefront of their minds now.

The explosions went off and made the branch the oto nin was standing on shatter from the pressure. They watched him fall to the forest floor, unmoving. A painful thud could be heard resounding through the forest as Kimimaro came to a forced rest.

"Did you kill him?" Naruto called out, flinching in pain as he did.

"Don't know, he isn't moving." Dosu said, still watching the enemy below.

"I said to stay quiet. Don't make me hit you, baka!" Sakura's commanding tone made him quiet again.

A fleeting thought made them wonder who was really in charge in their relationship.

"Hey..shitheads." Kin and Dosu looked over and saw Tayuya looking at them with a weak glare. "Help me outta here."

"Hmph. Why should we?" Kin asked, crossing her arms.

"Because yer boss said to..." She grunted before making a bloody grin. "and if ya don't, I'll kick yer asses myself."

Dosu and Kin shared a glance before the boy shrugged. It was true Naruto wanted her alive, so why not? With her flute gone, she wasn't much of a threat.

While they leaped down to help the girl get free, Karin leaped onto the same branch with Naruto. Sakura sensed her presence and turned to face her.

"Stay back!" She readied a kunai in her hand.

There was no way she would let anyone else hurt him. Not while she was alive.

"I don't want to hurt him. I can help." The red head lifted her sleeve and showed off the bite marks on her left arm, surprising them.

"One bite and even fatal wounds can be healed. Please.." She didn't want to watch him die when she could do something to help.

It was her fault he was like that. Karin wouldn't be able to stand by any longer.

"I said stay back! Why should I-" The healer got ready to attack, but hesitated when Naruto grabbed her arm.

"Sakura.." She looked down at him, incredulous. "It's okay."

"Naruto.." Reluctantly, Sakura lowered her weapon. "Fine, but I'm watching you."

The glare Sakura sent at her meant certain death if she made a wrong move. Karin steadied herself and walked over to Naruto. She knelt down so he could reach her arm, supporting his neck with her free hand.

They shared a glance before he bit down. A green glow enveloped Naruto as the healing chakra worked its magic, he was feeling much stronger than he was before. The pain was going away.

As the process went on, Karin got progressively weaker, but she wouldn't stop him until the wound was completely closed.

Sakura watched in awe at her ability. Was that why Naruto was so interested in her before?

Naruto let her arm go once he felt strong enough to move on his own. With some effort, and help from Sakura, he elevated his torso using his arms to support him.

Karin was visibly exhausted, panting over him.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She could only nod, still weak. It was then that Karin felt someone new approaching. Curious, she looked around to see where it was coming from.

Dosu and Kin had Tayuya between them, her arms hung over their shoulders on a nearby branch. They heard the barrel below begin to break and realized that Sasuke was finally breaking free. The dark clouds that seeped out made them question whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

They realized too late Kimimaro was no longer on the ground.

Sakura turned to see the kekkei genkai user on their branch, his bone attack aimed for Naruto. Without much time to react, she covered his body with her own.

Karin was frozen in place as Kimimaro closed on them, but then something amazing happened. A spear of sand hit Kimimaro in his chest, forcing him back. That wasn't all: more and more bursts of sand hit him until he was unable to move.

Naruto and the others turned their heads to see a familiar face. She wasn't someone he was expecting to see helping him, not since the last time they met.

Gaara was crouched on a block of sand. It gave her a great vantage point to launch her attacks accurately at the Oto ninja without hitting Naruto or the others.

Just like she was dressed in his vision, she wore assassin robes of the desert. It seemed something had changed since they last met after all.

With her arm out, Gaara forced Kimimaro up into the air with her sand. Everyone knew what was coming from Gaara's performance in the chunin exams.

"**Sabaku Kyuu..**" Her palm brought him higher and higher until he was almost touching the treetops.

Without a hint of remorse, her hand formed a fist. The sand immediately shifted in density and crushed what was inside; a sickening crack could be heard as the body became even more fragmented than it was.

"**Sabaku Sōsō!**" Her technique completed, the Suna jinchuuriki floated down toward the others.

They watched as the sand began to disperse and drop the broken body of Kimimaro onto the forest floor again. That time, it didn't look like he had much of a chance of survival.

The sand beneath Gaara began to disperse as she stepped onto the branch. Sakura still had her guard up, but again, Naruto's hand on her arm calmed her down with a small squeeze.

"Gaara.." He said, half a greeting, half statement.

"Naruto Uzumaki..I haven't forgotten you since we parted." Sakura and Karin's eyes widened, surprised to hear that.

"You made it just in time, but why are you here?" Naruto was very curious why she bothered to save them, but also why she was even there.

"Your Hokage sent my village a request for assistance." A simple answer with the same bored tone.

"Are you here to kill me?" He asked, trying to get a more active response.

Gaara seemed struggle with herself for a second before her shoulders slouched. She undid her hood and knelt down so she was inches away from Naruto's face.

"Thanks to you, I finally woke up. I made friends and built bonds, like you did." The connection between the two jinchuuriki seemed stronger than ever before.

"I'm here to thank you." She said before leaning forward and kissing Naruto on the lips.

Flabbergasted, those in attendance were unable to respond to Gaara's sudden and direct action. Not even the overprotective Sakura could raise her voice to object, too bewildered to think of something to say.

Gaara removed her lips from his and smiled. It was the same smile she gave him after he spared her the last time they fought.

"Gaara..." Naruto didn't know what to say.

It seemed that was all Gaara thought to do either, as she didn't say anything for a while.

"My sister said I should be honest about my feelings..and when I saw you, I felt like doing that." Somehow, her ignorance didn't translate to innocence.

There was more than instinct in her actions.

"Naruto! Sasuke's loose!" A call from Dosu awoke them from their stupor.

They turned their heads to see Dosu pointing behind him. A flash of black, and Sasuke was gone. Their objective was escaping without a fight.

Naruto willed his body to move, but he still wasn't completely ready. Despite that, they couldn't let him get away.

"Sakura, go after him. You have to stop him." Naruto told her.

"Naruto, are you sure?" Sakura thought he didn't want her fighting unless she had to.

"I don't want you to go, but we don't have a choice. Just hold him long enough for me to catch up, it won't be long." If she could just distract him for a little bit, then Naruto would be able to help her.

"Dosu, Kin!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the attention of his subordinates. "Leave Tayuya there and help Sakura catch Sasuke!"

They didn't hesitate at his order and quickly laid Tayuya down onto the branch. She cursed them for leaving her like that, but they ignored her loud mouth. Together with a reluctant Sakura, they gave chase to the Uchiha.

Karin went over to check on Tayuya with Naruto's permission. They weren't the best of friends, but she didn't want the other girl to die.

Gaara had promised to stay behind and look after Naruto. With a moment to themselves, Naruto decided to ask her the most burning question.

"What happened to you after we parted?" Gaara shrugged, as if it wasn't anything important.

"With the war over, the village recovered. When I returned, I discovered my father's heirlooms and realized that he had intended for us to become like you. Since then, we have been training for a situation like this."

"We?" Naruto asked.

Gaara nodded, angling her head back toward the way they first came.

"Temari and Kankuro. They came too, to help." They must have gone back to help Anko and Shikamaru.

"Well, thanks for coming."

"We came because we wanted to, not just because we were ordered. Your thanks isn't necessary."

Hmph. That sounded like Gaara, unwilling to accept appreciation. They shared a moment of comfortable silence until Naruto heard a snap.

His eyes turned to see Kimimaro flying down toward them. All of his body had turned a dark brown from the curse mark, supplementing his failing health. How was he still moving after the last attack? His arm formed a drill, aimed straight at Gaara.

The sand barrier forming wasn't fast enough, nor strong enough to completely block the attack. Her aquamarine eyes widened in surprise, unable to react. Would she die? Time seemed to slow as the attack closed on her.

White robes appeared between her and the attack. With a roar of defiance, Naruto grabbed Kimimaro's drill arm and held it tight under his armpit. It grazed his side, but the attack was stopped cold.

In his free hand, Naruto built up wind chakra in the shape of a cutting blade.

"Why won't you die already?!" His arm made a cutting motion right for Kimimaro's neck.

With a single slice, the Sound Five's leader was finished off. The body sagged and fell to the ground for the final time. His face was twisted into a relieved grin, so it seemed death was a welcome sight for Kimimaro.

"Naruto!" Karin shouted as she watched him stumble back, only to be caught by a concerned Gaara.

"Why did you block it? When you were already hurt..." He blocked it for her.

"Because, we're friends." He winked reassuringly, though he grunted in pain shortly after.

Gaara's eyes widened in surprise, did he mean that? Friends, after what she did to him? What he had done to her?

"Come on, we have to help Sakura." He unsteadily leaped to the next branch.

His eyes locked on Karin and Tayuya; neither of them looked like they were capable of doing any damage. Neither seemed like they were ready to leave either.

"Do I need to stay here and make sure neither of you leave?" Naruto asked, rhetorically.

"Does it look like I'm going anywhere?" Tayuya growled, rolling her eyes. "Fuckin' idiot."

"We'll surrender to the Konoha shinobi if they come, otherwise we'll wait here." Naruto nodded and started to head off, Gaara close behind.

"Well aren't you nice and docile." Tayuya mocked her after the assassins left.

"Shut up unless you want to die." Karin responded, adjusting her glasses.

000

It had begun to rain when Naruto finally found Sakura and the others. They had chased Sasuke all the way to the Valley of the End. The great waterfall created from the battle between Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha; their statues watched over the site of their old battlegrounds.

Sakura, Dosu, and Kin were all lying on the ground bloody and defeated. Cursing, Naruto ran over to Sakura and held her in his arms, trying to find a pulse. He was relieved to find she was alive, despite her wounds.

He looked around but couldn't find Sasuke. It seemed as if he was able to escape after beating his pursuers. But why didn't he kill them?

Carefully, he set Sakura down and checked on the other two. Alive and breathing, it was almost a miracle.

Gaara stayed back, her hood up to protect from the rain. She kept her eyes open in case someone unwanted tried to interfere.

A glint of metal caught Naruto's eye and he wandered over to the edge of the cliff that led down to the bottom of the waterfall. It was Sasuke's headband, the symbol had been scratched out. It was then that Naruto realized why Sasuke had spared the others.

He wanted to send Naruto a message.

_I'm not coming back without a real fight._

He was trying to mock him, but it wouldn't work. Today he had lost Sasuke, but he had gained something more. A new friendship with an old nemesis, two of the most powerful kunoichi in Orochimaru's army, and a safe return home with the one he loved. That was enough for him.

"**Kage Bunshin.**" Using a few clones, Naruto recovered his friends safely to take them back.

He walked back over to Gaara, her eyes closed in concentration. When they opened again, her face seemed to light up.

"Our friends are coming."

"Good, it's time to go home."

000

_Some time later..._

000

"Oi, gimme your rice if you ain't gonna eat it."

"I'm eating it, I just don't stuff my face like a pig."

"What did you say, bitch?"

Before Karin and Tayuya could climb out of their beds to kill each other, Natsuhi entered the room. In her arms was a second helping of food. Much relieved, they accepted it graciously, or at least Karin did. Tayuya mumbled thanks before digging in.

Natsuhi smiled. Since her recovery, she had joined the Namikaze in living in the compound. When she assured Naruto she was capable of cooking for all of them, he entrusted her with the meals. It was the least she could do to repay him for saving her life.

When she turned to leave, she noticed Sakura and Naruto ready to enter. Natsuhi bowed before excusing herself for her daily training exercises. She still had to recover from being bedridden for so long.

The two red heads confined to bed stopped eating when the two entered their room. It was time for their checkup and medicine, to ensure they would make a healthy recovery. Tayuya had suffered grievous wounds from Naruto's attack, and Karin had experienced a second wave of chakra exhaustion from healing Naruto. Sakura had been taking care of them since she herself recovered from her own wounds.

It had taken some work to ensure the Hokage and her ANBU didn't get their hands on the captured Oto ninja. Anko had done a good job of sneaking them away. There was a chance Tsunade knew what had really happened, but for whatever reason had chosen to ignore it. It was thanks to Naruto they captured them to begin with; if he wanted them, then there must have been something he could get from them.

"Here's your medicine, Tayuya." Sakura handed a pink vial to the older girl, who did not look happy to receive it.

By then, she knew the drill and drank it down without much of an argument.

"God, this tastes like shit!" It didn't stop her from complaining though.

Sakura, in a sign of maturity, held her tongue and checked on Karin who was much more pleasant. Things had been tense at first between them, but after Naruto proved that he wasn't going to hurt them, they settled in like Dosu and Kin. Those two had also been helpful in urging them to accept Naruto's hospitality for what it was.

Everyday, he was there with Sakura to check up on them. At first they thought it was because he didn't trust them alone with his 'girlfriend', but apparently it was because he was concerned about their health.

"Tayuya, Karin." The two girls looked at Naruto, immediately becoming silent.

They learned early on he wasn't one to go against. Tayuya got her shots in when it came to Sakura, but she steered clear of Naruto's ire whatever it took. She was on her second life and didn't want to push it.

Karin was tired of running from Naruto. She could no longer escape him, nor did she want to. For better or worse, she was going to stay by Naruto's side.

"I have a proposition for the both of you." Sakura sent Naruto an encouraging nod, since she knew how hard he had been thinking about what he was about to say.

It took some doing from her part, as well as Anko's, but they were finally able to convince him he was making the right decision.

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Karin asked.

Tayuya waited for him to answer rather than say something she would regret.

"I want you to join me, as a part of the Namikaze."

The red heads were unable to think of anything to say. They looked at Naruto, then Sakura, and then finally each other.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Karin asked.

"I'm asking to let me train you, so that you can join my family. We need powerful shinobi like you to rebuild the clan."

"Are you a fuckin' idiot-" Tayuya caught herself before she could finish the sentence, but the damage was done.

"I thought the same." Naruto said without missing a beat from Tayuya's response. "but Sakura and Anko both said I should follow my instincts and trust you. Neither of you seem like you want Orochimaru as your master, so why not stay here?"

It was so sudden, they weren't sure how to respond. He trusted them? Why?

"I'm not sure what to say.." Karin said, adjusting her glasses.

"I suggest you accept the offer, you two." Sakura winked.

They had no idea how lucky they were to get to stay there, for free. He offered them shelter, food, safety and only asked for their loyalty in return.

"And if we don't?" Tayuya figured she would go for broke.

"I let you go in the middle of the forest to fend for yourself." Naruto deadpanned—he did not disappoint her expectations.

"Fuckin' hell." Tayuya groaned. "You drive a hard bargain, blondie."

"The closer you are to me, the better I can keep an eye on you." So, his intentions weren't so naïve after all.

"I'll accept." Karin said after a short pause. "You're right, I don't want to go back to Orochimaru. I'd rather stay here, with you."

Sakura smiled and Naruto seemed to stand a little taller after that. Tayuya looked at her like she was a traitor, but she realized there really wasn't another option.

"Fuck..fine, fuck it. Sure, let's just all live together like a fuckin happy family. This'll go so well..shithead." She crossed her arms in a pout, spouting off another list of profanity.

"Good, we start tomorrow." Naruto turned on his heel and walked out, not willing to hear a word of protest.

"What?!" Tayuya and Sakura shouted at the same time.

"Naruto, they are still resting! Naruto!" Sakura ran out of the room, calling after him.

"You gotta be fuckin' kidding me." Tayuya leaned back into her pillow, clearly not happy.

"It could be worse, Tayuya. We could be dead." Karin chided, giggling to herself.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Was the last thing the foul mouthed girl said before rolling over to try and sleep away her problems.

However long they were going to be training, it was going to be annoying as hell to wait for it to end.

000

_Memory Termination..._

_..._

_Searching for relevant genetic data.._

…

…

_..._

_Match found: Loading Sequence._

_Standby..._

000

So glad to get this done, long awaited end to Part I. Hopefully you enjoyed. Be sure to leave a review.


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